Graduate Compass

Jo Linehan is one of Ireland's leading journalist on the topics of Fashion and Sustainability but she didn't always know what she wanted to do. Listen to her story about how she became not only a journalist but also an entrepreneur. Jo also runs the fantastic podcast 'The Futurist' which focuses on sustainable lifestyle, fashion and beauty brands. It can be found on her website http://www.jolinehan.com/the-futurist

Lisa's love of English led her to an undergraduate in it and then to start a masters in the same field, but while doing her masters she realized she had taken it as far as she could take it and decided to quit leaving her asking the question what next? She loved education but didn't know where she could fit in the system. She slowly began to find there were other jobs out there that interested her. More then 10 years on she has spent most of her time since working behind the scenes at various educational institutions, in a variety of different roles cultivating skills and pushing herself to grow. Helping learners with all the stuff that needs to be done but that is out of the limelight, the stuff that keeps our education system going in the background.

As Kate started to look to life after university in Leeds she wasn't 100% sure of what she wanted to do except she knew she didn't want to work in neuroscience. A bold change in direction would lead her to working in a number of different areas before landing a dream role in the charity sector.

Adam went to University to follow his passion and to get a job in the area of his greatest hobby and interest. However he realized that jobs in this area were not what he thought they would be. A need to earn some money while studying would lead him to finding a career path he loved and was just as passionate about.

Joni Struthers went to college learn how to build aircraft but a placement opportunity would give him a foot in the door of a whole other type of career in the airline industry he never even considered before.

Ayfa didn't study her degree straight after school but when she finally did she wasted no time and dove straight into her new academic life. So much that she ended up working in academia but when reality meant she needed to find a career path she was open to whatever came her way, and it turned out HR was a really great fit.

When Zach Horne got into an Ivy league school in the U.S.A. he was expecting to follow his degree subject into the world of work, but as he graduated he began to realize this wasn't the path he wanted to go down. A chance to go overseas would delay having to make a career decision but would also give him some alternative career ideas to explore.

Ciara always wanted to find a career path she loved, and after years of working in the field of business in roles she didn't enjoy she realized she had to take a step back to find it. After following her passion and going back to college to study a masters degree in writing, it would be her lecturer who would suggest a career path that she had never heard of that would bring her business knowledge and her love of writing together at last.

When Josh Coles left university it seemed he had a future in the media all laid out for him having done everything he should have done to get his career behind the microphone going during his degree. However slowly he began to realize a career in the media wasn't for him and he would soon find himself in front of the microphone in a very different capacity.

Growing up in Canada Zac Greenwood always loved school. And after going University to study Psychology his love for education would lead him back to school. This time as a secondary school in Australia.

Show note: Any references to the term 'PD' refers to professional development