As the end of my time at university draws close to the end, I am overwhelmed by the feeling that my life has flashed before my eyes. It feels like only yesterday when it was my first day at Robert Gordon University, lost in the business school trying to find my class and being faced with what seemed at the time a very complex theory model: the standard Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs of course. It is safe to say that during my first year of university, I lived in a bubble.
The idea of the potential opportunities that would arise throughout my time at university was intensely exciting. I would be immersed in new knowledge, learning theories and strategies that would change major global companies for the better. For my third year I'd embark on a years placement working on important clients heavily funded marketing campaigns and advertising, and for a while I genuinely thought I'd be begged by some advertising company in New York to do my placement with them. After graduation I'd be head hunted, given my own shiny office and probably an assistant to do my filing and bring me Starbucks.
Fast forward almost 4 years, and here I am in the library at 9pm, surrounded by about 12 rather large textbooks, a can of red bull, a large coffee, highlighters and my ever faithful laptop. I have been here for 12 hours and counting. Gone are the days of only coming into Uni to attend a lecture in which I would doodle away, partying and adopting the standard "getting by" approach. Today, even the mere thought of not attending a class or lecture causes panic and stress. Now everything we do is vital, and I have discovered that I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to coursework and exams. Who'd have thought it?!
The reality of the workplace hit me hard. Forget a fancy placement in New York, the recession was fierce on the employment opportunities in 2009, and that included placements. I didn't leave Aberdeen for my placement, and I certainly didn't get the chance to do marketing. As for graduate employment, it's safe to say that I shall not be offered a shiny office or an assistant, and highly probable that it will be me doing the filing and getting the coffees...
All this isn't a negative. Its most certainly prepared me for "the real world". My placement? I had the great opportunity to work within the accounts & finance department at GE Oil & Gas, making me more diverse and giving greater insight into the other departments of such a global company, something I wouldn't have been able to do if I had been on a marketing placement. As for graduate employment, the competition and decline of opportunities has only enabled me to become more focused and determined in what I want to achieve in my career. Nothing will be handed to us graduating students, a presumption almost all of us are guilty of when we first begin our university lives; we need to earn those chances and opportunities by developing ourselves academically and professionally. No one will do it for us.
As for the theories and strategies that I shall use to guide businesses to global success, well, that's still to be determined... 4th Year has certainly taught me a lot.
No comments:
Post a Comment