Becky works for Third Space Learning who are an educational-tech start-up; an online maths platform providing one-to-one tuition and resources to primary schools across the UK. Although initially signing up for a one-month internship, Becky has since been offered a six-month internship with more responsibility.

Alongside meeting the retention targets and reviewing weekly session and customer service, Becky has also visited many schools to offer tech support in their sessions to showcase the product of Third Space Learning.

Becky Says:

Studying geography at Royal Holloway helped her to focus in on her main interests.

“I have always been interested in the charity sector, and particularly enjoyed my Development modules, such as Perspectives on Development in third year. Through my studies I developed a sound awareness of social and global situations.

“Third Space Learning uses technology to train and qualify tutors in India and Sri Lanka and connect them to pupils across the UK for one-to-one tuition. This is a global approach to a significant social and academic problem, as we have a lack of specialist teachers in the UK. The values of Third Space inspired me to work for them, supporting students across the country and providing work for our tutors abroad.”

Becky's Advice:

“It can be hard to work out what you want to do, especially if you don’t have much experience. An internship is good experience without long-term commitment and you can figure out what you enjoy doing while you’re working temporarily.”

MA Cultural Geography (Research) involves a much more free way of studying primarily through research practice, and allows you to really hone in on your specific research interests in a lot greater depth.

Daniel originally studied a BSC in Geography here at Royal Holloway, but the lecturers in Cultural Geography made the subject “so interesting and really helped to support me in developing understandings of key themes within the branch of geography that really help on the masters.”

One module he remembers was titled “Cultural Imaginations of Nature” and it made him think about the way in which he imagines nature and how these collective imaginations can be dangerous in terms of research.

“Questioning everything I thought I knew about what I thought was a simple word made me realise that geography is everywhere, and that cultural geography was something I wanted to explore in much greater depth.”

Daniel Says:

Daniel’s tips for current geography students who want to do this masters are to talk to staff and current students enrolled on the course.

“If you do a range of modules like I did for BSc that aren’t just cultural geography, I would say make sure you focus evenly on every aspect of the course so that you have that foundation knowledge to fall back upon should you need it, but to do a little extra reading in your own time and begin to think about what your specific research interests are.

“As the course is very heavily research methods based, definitely try to think about the methods you learn about at undergraduate level in a more critical way. Not every guideline will work for your specific research, so don’t assume everything a book says is necessarily the best way to go about research for example.

“I would say the best thing to do is to talk to people about the masters, and apply early. The course is absolutely incredible, but it is very intensive. Whilst you will be in university about two days per week, make sure that you are capable of balancing your time and extracurricular activities! That really helps me to keep on top of everything.”

Ellie works for All Response Media as a Digital Media Executive. As part of her role she works with Charity clients such as WWF, Care International and Centrepoint. She helps run their online marketing campaigns through Facebook and Instagram or on Google and Bing; “It's a lot of fun to help clients reach their marketing goals by coming up with targeting lines for different kinds of audiences on Facebook, to writing Ad Copy for their paid ads on Google Search, every day is so different.

Ellie says:

“Studying Geography at Royal Holloway has helped me in so many ways. It gave me the confidence to pursue something that I enjoy, given me friends for life and gave me invaluable skills that have really come in handy having just started my first full-time job after University.

“Being part of the Geography Society also helped me to become a lot more confident with myself and working together with others. I organised the alumni event and have made some invaluable contacts through that.

“The third year course on Commodities with Phil Crang was probably one of my favourite courses throughout my time at University. It allowed me to gain an insight into the advertising industry, which gave me the drive and passion to pursue a career in digital media marketing.

Ellie's Advice:

“Don't be scared to pursue something out of the ordinary or to decide at the last minute not to do something. Enjoy the time you have at University, because they are the best three years of my life so far and every experience that I had over those three years have helped me both in my career and personally.”

Imogen is the Office Manager at Karmel Foods. Her role is to look after the office and involves a variety of responsibilities. This includes going to the post office, booking couriers, handling the petty cash, buying stationery, organising people’s birthdays, and so much more.

One of her biggest roles is answering all customer queries and complaints; “our company is in the food industry for children’s meals, parents do have a lot of concerns and questions. I have learnt a lot about food nutrition and baby-led weaning in the last three months!”

Imogen Says:

Imogen says that studying Geography at Royal Holloway helped her gain invaluable skills, especially in terms of organisation; “learning to juggle essays, projects, a part-time job and different societies has taught me how to balance the tasks I now do daily at work.

“University in general has helped me gain so much confidence which I think has really helped me; firstly with the process of finding, applying and interviewing for jobs and now in my current role where I interact with so many people on a daily basis. Retrospectively, Phil Crang’s lectures on commodities and the role of consumers and producers, has made me very self-aware of my own role, as I interact with manufacturers and our customers.”

Imogen's Advice:

Imogen was unsure about what career she wanted to go into straight out of university and decided to try different temporary roles before going into something more permanent. She used a company called Inspiring Interns who were very supportive and proactive in sending job specifications.

“As much as you should be preparing for life after university, do not get stressed and frustrated if you are not offered something straight away. I got my job in November and I really enjoyed having the whole of summer just to take a breather and prepare for my life in the adult world.

“Another important thing to consider is that your first job out of university is unlikely to be your ‘forever job’. Know that the jobs you do take are experiences and steps to help grow your career. Most people have no idea what they want to do in the future and that’s ok.”

James is studying a Real Estate MSc at Reading University. This involves learning the applied practices to do the role of a commercial real estate agent, how to deal with contracts, the conditions and drivers of the real estate market and how to value property assets. The MSc course has exposure to industry contracts and guest speakers, to enable a wider commercial knowledge and networking. 

James Says:

The most useful and exciting part of geography for James, was the ability to understand the drivers behind a place. Real estate builds on this by allowing interaction and tangible visible change to occur. By understanding areas and assets, value can be added, changing the pathways that buildings follow. Property is one of those 'hidden' sectors that offers a wide range of job roles from analytical investment roles to more social brokering roles.

“Modules such as Post Capitalist Cities and Geopolitics helped develop my interest in Real Estate. The modules have ‘real world’ implications about where the built environment develops, where it is located, and how we interact with it. These modules have helped to build and apply my knowledge to my master’s course.

James' Advice

“To me the most important thing I have found is the need to have real world experience, ideally within your desired sector. As the skills you learn outside of the classroom can complement your degree and set you apart in a competitive work environment. Developing good time management and teamwork skills are essential.

“I am currently in the process of securing a graduate role with one of the agencies in London, which will continue to train me through a two-year scheme. This will expose me to a range of roles within the real estate industry, and hopefully I find the niche that interests me most.”

Louise Gorringe is a Geography, Politics and International Relations graduate currently on a Project Professional Graduate Scheme at the Ministry of Defence. The graduate scheme focusses on training up the new generation of Project Professionals in Project Management and Project Controls so they can support the Armed Forces.

Louise Says:

Louise found modules in statistics and GIS particularly helpful in her degree as she is able to use these at the Ministry of Defence. Further to this, as London is on Egham’s doorstep, she was able to intern in Parliament during her second and third years and urges students to “look beyond university during your three years for experience. There are plenty of opportunities offered by the Geography department, such as placement dissertations.

Louise's Advice:

“While still being important, employers want to see more than just your university activities during the interview process. During your three years you need to be thinking about the interviews you'll be doing in third year and what you could be doing now to boost your chances of success.”

Megan will be starting an MSc in October 2018 at Oxford University. Biodiversity Conservation and Management will focus on the threats facing ecosystems such as global and local environmental changes, human influences and species extinctions. It also involves looking at how we manage these threats through governance and policy decisions. 

Studying Physical Geography at Royal Holloway gave Megan a solid understanding of the issues facing modern-day ecosystems, upon which she hopes to build during her MSc.

Megan Says:

“I took Scott Elias’s 2^nd and 3^rd year modules Biogeography and Conservation Biogeography which definitely highlighted the wide ranging impacts of environmental change within ecosystems. In my 3^rd year I also took 2 Biological Sciences: Marine Ecology and Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend.”

Megan's Advice:

Megan’s advice to current students is to grab opportunities and make the most of them.

“I arranged my placement just because I wanted to go to the Amazon Rainforest – when I sorted it I did not imagine I would have such an amazing opportunity to do research in field.

“My placement was 5 weeks in the Amazon Rainforest with the Crees Foundation. It involved conducting various surveys based around monitoring the health of the regenerating ecosystem of the Manu Biosphere Reserve. I think that doing this placement will help towards my MSc as it taught me new fieldwork and data collection skills.”

To read more about Megan’s placement in the Amazon Rainforest, click here.

Megan Stawman is a BSc Geography graduate currently working as a cover supervisor in an all-boys secondary school. As well as covering lessons when a teacher is absent, she is a teaching assistant and teaches Geography to a class of year 10 SEN students three times a week.

Megan Says:

During her final year at Royal Holloway, she was the coach and captain of Cheerleading. Megan used this experience to realise her love of coaching, teaching others and watching them succeed as they developed their skills. She applies this to teaching Geography; “watching kids get more confident every week is so rewarding, it is great to be able to share my knowledge and passion with those who are there eager to learn.”

Megan did a year abroad in the USA between her second and third year. She decided that she had become exhausted after two years of study and returned for final year refreshed and motivated to graduate.

“My year abroad was, without a doubt, the best thing I have ever done. I met the most incredible people in the USA, made friends for life and became a stronger, more independent person. Being 6000 miles away from friends and family forces you out of your comfort zone and the rewards are definitely worth it.”

Megan's Advice:

Megan’s advice to current students is to make sure you grab every opportunity given to you at university and take every chance to make yourself a multi-talented individual.

“You are at University to get a degree, but it wasn't entirely my 2:1 that got me employed or will help me succeed in the future; it is my involvement in clubs, my year abroad and my people skills.”

Ophelia works to create and implement government policy successfully for the benefit of citizens both within, and outside of, the UK. However, in practice this can take many forms.

"On some days I am liaising with key stakeholders at meetings, events, or conferences, whilst on other days I am undertaking large pieces of research, writing policy briefs, or attending events with a Minister for the day. More specifically, I work within the ‘digital’ side of the department where our overall goal is to build a world leading digital economy that works for everyone."

Ophelia Says:

"Studying geography provided the perfect foundation to enter the workplace. The style of assessments provided ensured I possessed the transferable skills to succeed, while the subject knowledge I developed throughout my three years studying helped me as I could bring new ideas to certain areas of policy, which is particularly interesting considering the current political climate.

"Similarly, I remember attending the department's alumni day in my first year, and was introduced to an alumna who was working in the Civil Service Fast Stream. This inspired me to research it further, and three years later, I’m now doing what she was doing when I met her.

"I distinctly remember my third year course in the Geopolitics of Media and Communications inspired me to research more into government and policy. In particular, we had to create a policy brief as part of the coursework, and this really helped me challenge academic writing in favour of a style used widely in the workplace.  I remember learning about specific theories and ideas, such as the histories and development of media that still help me in my job today.

"The Civil Service provides wonderful career opportunities, and there are a number of departments to work for that cater for nearly any interest. It really is amazing how close you can get to frontline of politics.

Ophelia's Advice: 

"University is full of so many opportunities, and I really would advise that you take every single one that is offered to you. Whether academic, social, or corporate, these experiences all help to enhance your career profile and prepare you for the workplace. This ensures that you help to develop the environment you work in, but equally they can help you."

Poppy graduated with BA Geography in 2015 and is now a Student Recruitment Manager (Events) at Royal Holloway. Her role involves developing and implementing the annual plan for all aspects of the University’s undergraduate on-campus events for the academic year, including Open Days and Applicant Visit Days.

Poppy Says:

Studying Geography at Royal Holloway helped develop written and verbal communication skills which are essential to her current role. While studying, Poppy was a Student Ambassador and on the Geography Society committee which gave her invaluable events planning experience. After graduating, Poppy took a temporary job working in the Events team in Student Recruitment at Royal Holloway which lead her to wanting to work in the Higher Education sector.

After graduating, Poppy used her knowledge of the world learned in Geography to explore; “it was a fantastic experience and gave me the chance to see lots of things I’d learnt about throughout my degree in the real world – especially living in different cities around Australia and Asia.”

Poppy's Advice:

The opportunities that Royal Holloway has to offer directly impacted Poppy’s career and gave her the skills and experience to find a role for her. She advises current students to get involved with everything the geography department has to offer, from research trips to Geography Society events.

Sarah-Jane is a Digital Sentiment Analyst for Breakthrough Media. As part of the research and strategy team, she analyses how marketing campaigns are received by various audiences and uses analytics platforms to generate data-driven insights.

After her undergraduate degree, Sarah-Jane went on to study an MA in Cultural Geography at Royal Holloway. During this, she did a placement at a market research company which gave her relevant skills and experience to help her in her current role.

Sarah-Jane Says:

“The Masters course gave me an extra year to figure out the direction I wanted to go in for a career. I knew I wanted to try and use the skills I developed through my degree in real life situations, so this worked well for me.

“The research skills I learned during my undergraduate degree and my MA degree are very transferrable to this role, including both dissertations which have helped me a lot in terms of research.

Sarah-Jane's Advice:

“Do as much as you can to boost your CV – Volunteer, do relevant placements and try out different things until you figure out what you enjoy. Do things during your degree that will give you an edge over other candidates when you’re looking for your perfect career.”

Ultan is the CEO and founder of Release. His main responsibility is to generate a return for the company's shareholders and spend time with investors to raise funds and update them on the status of the company. 

Ultan Says:

Studying Human Geography at RHUL developed his ability to create persuasive arguments about complex phenomena and processes; “This has helped with two things in particular - convincing potential investors to part with their cash, and smart people in successful jobs to leave and join the team at Release.”

During the second year of his degree, he visited New York and studied the geographies of entrepreneurship in the city; “I was fascinated by the cluster of technology entrepreneurs I discovered around Union Square and Brooklyn. This inspired me to do an ethnographic study into the London tech startup scene, through the eyes of an entrepreneur starting a company.

“The business I started for my dissertation remarkably secured investment and propelled me into the world of tech startups. Ultimately, that business didn't work out, but it gave me the experience I needed to build a new more successful business after it.”

Ultan's Advice:

His advice to current students is to not be afraid to put your hand up in classes and say what you think.

“Put yourself out there. Nothing grows in a comfort zone. The more you find the courage to speak up about the things you believe in, the more likely it is that you will act on your passions and end doing the things you really want to be doing with your life.

“To get the very most out of your Geography degree, be sure to challenge your professors and read other books unrelated to Geography. Both will give you a deeper and more unique understanding of the issues covered in the course.”