Vivien C.
About me
| Vivien C. | |
| Education | |
| Language, Literature and Education | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Halifax | |
| 2012 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| United Kingdom |
More about Vivien
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My career goals when I graduated
I initially pursued a career in TV production, working for almost three years before switching industries. At the time I wanted to be a drama producer, but it's funny how things change as you learn, grow and experience new situations with different people. The most important thing for me, though, was that I was successful at work.
My career history
As aforementioned, I started in the TV industry at BBC Entertainment and Children's, moved into freelance drama production after a year, and stayed in the industry for almost two years. I then decided it wasn't the right career path for me, and moved to the USA for a year to travel. After moving back to the UK, I became an associate consultant at my current company, before becoming an associate project manager after a year and a half of learning business IT consulting.
What has helped my career to progress
I'm a very tenacious and determined person when I put my mind to something and know what I want, which helped me gain a constant flow of work as a freelancer in drama production, and kept me going through tough times. I also enjoy connecting with people (be nice to everyone, because the world is smaller than you think) and proving myself worthy at work, and these traits still serve me well today; people can always tell when you're passionate and enthusiastic.
What surprised me about my career so far
Truthfully, I've rarely used my degree at work, but I don't regret going to university; in many ways, it shaped me into the confident young woman I feel like I am today, and gave me experiences and friends for life. My time in York defined me for the better, both personally and professionally.
Where I hope to be in 5 years
I hope I'll become a fully fledged project manager, still working at my company, helping to lead projects, building strong customer relationships, enjoying working with my colleagues, and being a part of a strong, constantly-growing company.
My advice to students considering work
Try and gain as much work experience as possible, and take a good hard look at the seniors and management personnel in companies. Do you want to be those people in ten or twenty years' time and do their jobs?
My advice about working in my industry
To be honest, it's very hard to get into the business IT industry without prior end-user experience. However, there are more and more graduate schemes at IT companies nowadays, such as my own, so I would advise to do your research into which companies offer graduate training and recruitment. Give companies calls and show some initiative - it can't hurt!
What I do
Associate Project Manager in business technology
Skills I use and how I developed them
Organisation, management, communication, interpersonal skills. These are skills I enjoy and constantly build upon through experience working with people every day.
What I like most
I love the company culture at my place of work; the people are not only highly competent and skilled, but also warm, welcoming, and lovely people to work with every day. I'm grateful to work for a company that values me and treats me with respect.
What I like least
I travel and work away from home on customer sites for projects for approximately three days every week, which can be tiring, and also frustrating if you want to make weekday evening plans at home or spend time with family and friends.
What surprised me most
To be able to work for a company that values my contribution and pays me well.
Next steps...
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