Alastair speaks with higher education professional Charlotte Marshall about what student life and employability really look like right now. From supporting “hard to reach” students to preparing Gen Z for a workplace that doesn’t come with pastoral support, Charlotte offers a grounded view of the transition from education to employment.

The conversation progresses to collaboration, communication across generations, the emotional weight of rejection in early careers, and Charlotte’s one piece of advice that cuts across age groups. That is to not take it personally.

Highlights

• The idea of being a “peak millennial” who is fluent in change
• What universities can and can’t realistically do to prepare students for work
• Why the workplace feels harsher than education (and why that’s not always bad)
• AI is a useful tool, but not the answer to everything
• The emotional cost of modern job hunting

Charlotte Marshall Takeaways:

• Collaboration is a skill you practise, not a personality trait
• Rejection is structural, not personal and resilience comes from repetition
• Miscommunication is usually clumsy, not malicious
• Support structures help, but self-management still matters
• Curiosity and respect are the fastest route to generational understanding

Charlotte Marshall Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-marshall-050614194/

https://www.linkedin.com/school/bath-spa-university/

Generationally Speaking Links:

Generationally Speaking Website

Generationally Speaking on LinkedIn

Alastair on LinkedIn