Reader’s response to “Oh, so you are going into teaching?”

Read Beccy Willmett’s article

[dropcap]H[/dropcap]ere at Warwick, the Careers service is often hated by humanities students for only seeming to serve those interested in certain industries. However, I don’t believe that’s the case – I’ve always had a great experience when working with them.
I’m the first to admit that the Autumn Careers Fair may have focused on industries that don’t exactly mesh with Humanities degrees. But it’s important to remember that these are the companies that recruit early and en masse. This model is rarely found outside of the business world, so it makes sense that companies who operate in this style would be found at the earlier fairs.
In fact, a brief perusal of the Warwick Careers site reveals that multiple fairs are held throughout the year, as well as a multitude of smaller events that cater to specific industry. So it begs the question – why go to an event if you know that it won’t have anything that you’re interested in pursuing? It makes sense that a student interested in journalism would wait until the relevant event.

It’s important not to discount and refuse all help in the future because of this, as it will likely lead to an unfulfilling and menial job in the future.

Even though students could argue that the Fair didn’t help them start thinking about their future careers, I would argue that it did. After all, everyone who left unsatisfied now knows they have no interest in the careers featured at the Autumn Fair. It’s important not to discount and refuse all help in the future because of this, as it will likely lead to an unfulfilling and menial job in the future.
But Careers aren’t entirely free of blame – to find out who was attending, I had to specifically find the company list, which many freshers won’t do. They’re much more likely to simply click attending in the hope of moving away from the nebulous and vague ideas toward a concrete career choice. To avoid disappointment and make sure the spaces being booked in were only for those who had a genuine interest.

the Careers service can help – the advisers work with you personally to help you find interviews in industries that genuinely interest you.

But all this is a drop in the ocean – the truth is, humanities students do have it hard. Many of the industries that we traditionally move into are dying or shrinking, and they simply don’t have the resources to advertise themselves in the same way. And while they shrink, the growing number of graduates doesn’t help. Added to this is the financial aspect – you’ll never earn astronomical amounts, while banking and business can rake in piles of cash.
The gist of all this seems to be that to have a successful career in the current economic climate, you need to be searching every day until you find something that fits. And the Careers service can help – the advisers work with you personally to help you find interviews in industries that genuinely interest you. The big fairs might be filled with big corporations, but what were you expecting? This is Warwick, and they’re never going to change that much.