As the Digital Team, we are trained careers advisers and are the people behind your Careers Portal! We research information and develop new content for our pages, run the parent and employer webinars, interview experts in their field for our podcasts and you'll talk to one of us when using our webchat service.

We'd like to introduce ourselves:

Lucy

Digital Services Lead

 

First job: Sales Assistant in a sports shop.

Worst job experience: When I worked as a waitress and dropped salsa and guacamole down a girls pretty dress! Thankfully her parents were very understanding.

Best job experience: I really enjoy my current role. It allows me to be creative whilst developing resources that will support our students, parents, teachers and colleagues. I also love my voluntary work to help wildlife, which includes bats and the hazel dormouse.

What I'd tell my 16 year old self: Don't worry if you don't know exactly what career you want yet. Think about what you enjoy doing and whatever step you take, you will learn important skills and knowledge for the future. It really could lead to the best times, whether that be learning more about yourself, meeting great people who will become lifelong friends, or doing a job you love.

 

Carrie

Careers Adviser

 

First job: Peeling prawns in a pub kitchen.

Worst job experience: Serving warm gin and tonics at a wedding when the ice machine broke down!

Best job experience: Landing my dream job in marketing at 25 after packing up my life and going back to university for an MA.

What I'd tell my 16 year old self: Don't go for the safe option without doing your research! Really think about what makes you happy, what you value, what you're really good at and what intrigues you. Find something that lights a spark in you because the determination and hard work necessary to succeed will then come naturally. Just don't be afraid to do everything in your power to make it happen!

 

 

Lesley

 Schools Student Support Administrator

 

First job: A Clerical Assistant in the Pathology Department at Wexham Park Hospital. Previously I'd had Saturday jobs in a fish and chip shop and on the sweet counter in Woolworths.

Worst job experience: Administrator in a garden centre. I thought it would be an ideal role as I love gardening (how wrong you can be!) - lasted two weeks.

Best job experience: I love what I'm doing now and also when I worked for an Education Business Partnership - making a difference to young people's lives.

What I'd tell my 16 year old self: If you don't like what you're doing and it's not making you happy, move on and find something that does. Life it too short to be spending your working life doing something you don't enjoy.

 

 

 

Maggie

Careers Adviser

First job:  Quite a few!  Sales Assistant in Boots, Alice’s Shop (Alice in Wonderland memorabilia!), a supermarket and a few clothes shops. 

Worst job experience:  Trying to measure and weigh blocks of cheese for customers in a supermarket – I ended up cutting larger amounts too often but one very kind customer paid for a piece twice as large as he really wanted and declared he would throw a dinner party to enjoy it with friends!

Best job experience:  I really enjoy working with and helping young people. I like the variety of face to face contact and also researching and designing materials to help young people, their families and others, so it is great to be working in schools and now working as part of the digital team as well.

What I'd tell my 16 year old self:  Be yourself at all times even if it is different to everyone around you. Each job you experience will help towards the ones you are destined for in the future; we all have different roles to take in life and trusting your instincts is important. Working with likeminded people really helps you to feel part of a team and the organisation, whatever or wherever it may be.

 

Nic

Careers Adviser

 

First job: I worked in a newsagents when I was 15.

Worst job experience: I worked in a Lava Lamp factory. It was very repetitive and I had to listen to Radio 1 all day which nearly killed me - I lasted two weeks.

Best job experience: I enjoy my current job the most. I love working with young people - no two days are the same! It has been really fun developing this portal for the students, parents and teachers that we work with, I have learnt a lot.

What I'd tell my 16 year old self: Don’t be afraid just to go for it! Try the job, if you don't like it, move on. Challenge yourself to do new things and take on new responsibilities, it can be scary at first but it could end up being the best move you ever made!

 

 

 

 

Explore our Students page to start planning for your future!