Month: October 2026

by Nathan

Exploring career options can feel like trying to explore a deep, dark and unfathomable cave. Vast and sprawling with gloomy, twisting tunnels and an intimidating maw for an entrance. That’s how I felt before I became a Careers Peer Coach. This was the torch I needed to provide light on job searching, careers planning and graduate schemes. I hope to share some tips to help guide your own journey into the cave of careers.

Spelunking (the sport of walking and climbing in caves) starts with a plan, and the earlier the better. Begin looking inwards, at what you want for your career. What are the current things you want to achieve this year? Maybe you want to secure a place on a graduate scheme, or an internship. Perhaps you’re considering your options of further study. It might be more immediate, as it was with me, you’re looking for a part-time job to gain some money.

Next, it’s time to figure out how to get it. That means exploring that cavernous world of careers. On the hunt for any sparkling gems that are exactly what you want.

Cavers need the proper equipment to explore the subterrain, to be safe and efficient. For those of us conducting careers exploration, we need the proper equipment too. That equipment comes in the form of the UWE Career Toolkit. If you’re looking for a tip or a trick to get you heading in the right direction, then there really isn’t a better place I can point you to than the Career Toolkit.

This is a nifty little web page that acts as guiding rope and as excavating pick for when you’ve found those hidden gems. On there are sections about work experience, placements, CVs and interviews, postgraduate options, international routes, the list is near endless.

If I could share one of those hidden gems it would be the PDF list found under the ‘Jobs & work experience by degree or occupation’ tab within the ‘Job-searching’ tile. These are a fantastic list of career options by study area that are worth a look. They contain advice on searching for jobs as well as links to employers who have provided graduate places or internships before. Take each tool out as needed and you won’t get lost.

Hopefully with the Career Toolkit in your pocket, you’ll be feeling confident and able to step into your own cave of careers and find your own sparkling solutions.

by Beatrice

As a second-year postgraduate studying career development, I started mapping out my direction during my very first term. I knew I wanted to support students through coaching and mentoring in higher education. Because I got clear on that early, I kept a regular eye on the vacancies section in the UWE Careers Toolkit. When the Peer Coach role came up in March, I was ready to jump on it.

To build my confidence and practical skills, I also threw myself into hands-on experience: volunteering with Future Quest at UWE on widening participation activities, and working with an NGO to mentor a Year 12 student through their UCAS process. Combining campus outreach with external volunteering gave me a safe space to test theory in the real world, discover my strengths, and clearly pinpoint my blind spots.

Another resource in the Careers Toolkit that made a huge difference is free access to LinkedIn Learning. Whenever I wanted to build specific professional skills, such as coaching frameworks, psychology, or data analysis, I treated those courses as zero-pressure “tasters.” They’re a brilliant way to explore new fields, discover what you actually enjoy doing and earn digital certificates to back up your CV and LinkedIn profile.

If you want to make the most of this academic year without burning out, here are three practical tips that kept me on track:

Invest one hour a week in “future you”: treat career exploration like a scheduled module. Set aside one quiet window a week to browse UWE vacancies, update a CV draft, or watch a quick LinkedIn Learning module.

Prioritize by impact, not just deadlines: academic work will always expand to fill your day if you let it. Use a digital calendar or planner to protect specific slots for volunteering, work experience, and rest so your personal development does not get pushed aside.

Test the waters early: you do not need your whole life mapped out right now. Try a micro-volunteering role, join an NGO initiative, or take an introductory course to see if an area suits you before making big commitments.

Your degree gives you the qualification, but early action gives you the confidence. Log into the Careers Toolkit this week, pick one small goal, and give yourself a head start.