Exploring Creative Career Opportunities
I recently attended an employability session hosted by the Nottingham Trent University School of Art and Design that provided some great insights into the creative industries. The session, titled "MA FTK Employability", was led by career coach Jo Jackson and covered a range of topics from self-awareness resources to international student support.
I am very blessed that this school can give such great support to students whether they graduate or not. Back in my hometown, there was no support for student employment.
One highlight was learning about all the employability support services available through NTU. Their MyEmployability platform offers fantastic online career tools for things like CV reviews, interview practice and career assessments. The Graduate Jobs portal also lists hundreds of roles from employers recruiting NTU graduates. I'll definitely be utilizing these resources as I continue planning my career journey.
We explored ideas around gathering self-awareness through skills audits, career anchors and other personality/motivation tests. This helped emphasize the importance of reflection to better understand my strengths, interests and values. Jo encouraged us to use this self-knowledge when setting goals and exploring potential career paths.
It was also interesting to learn about opportunities for international students to work both in the UK and abroad. Visa options like the Graduate Route were explained, as were resources on working outside the UK through platforms like Goinglobal. This opened my eyes to possibilities beyond my home country.
But the most valuable part of the session for me was learning about Creative Futures, NTU's annual one-day employability event. Taking place in early 2023, it connects students to industry professionals through panel talks, networking and portfolio reviews. Speakers come from iconic brands like Ralph Lauren alongside global firms and entrepreneurs.
I'm excited to attend Creative Futures to gain key industry insights, get career advice from experts and start building my professional network. Events like this always prove so beneficial for creative graduates seeking to enter an increasingly competitive field. It should help progress my employability goals and drive new opportunities as I near graduation.
Overall, this was an extremely informative session that provided a great perspective on the career development resources and events available to NTU students. I feel more prepared to start mapping out my next steps and will certainly utilize all that was shared as I continue forward in my creative career journey.
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