Personal view
Graduating in the summer of 2010, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the University of Liverpool and would recommend the chemistry department in particular to any young scientists. The department’s teaching standards were excellent and although the work load was high at times, balancing this with my other commitments at university was easy thanks to the support you get from the staff.
Before joining university, I had long decided I was going to join the Royal Navy, and throughout my time in the department was a member of Liverpool University Royal Naval Unit. Leaving the department with a good degree I embarked on my Naval career at Britannia Royal Naval College. However, life rarely goes according to your ‘life plan’ and so within a month I was back home having decided that a full time career in the Navy wasn’t what I wanted any more.
I then started applying for graduate jobs (again) whilst working for my local Boots store to broaden my skills and gain some real work experience I could use to help me get a job. After being successful at selection, I joined the Unilever Future Leaders Programme (UFLP) in the 2011 intake. I currently work at Port Sunlight on one of Unilever’s most important projects to date in the Laundry Category and owe it all to the skills I developed during my time with the department. Complementing the professional skills you learn from a subject like chemistry with some key ‘soft skills’ acquired from other experiences while at university is key - a degree from the University of Liverpool definitely helped to get me two graduate jobs with top employers, however don’t underestimate the importance of balancing your academic work with other character building activities. Although the graduate jobs market may be tougher than ever, trust your education & achievements and have the confidence to go for it.
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