I graduated with a degree in Accounting with Economics in 2016, but during my time at university I wasn’t really sure about my career plans and I was completely uncertain about what I wanted to do after I graduated. The only thing that I was sure of was that I wanted to work in some type of finance-related role, but I didn’t know which area. After I graduated I found it very difficult to search for jobs because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. My degree is very broad, giving me many options, but I was only interested in Finance, limiting the range of jobs I was looking at. I felt very unsure of my future at this point and I needed something to help me through.

Around this time I was introduced to Making The Leap and their workshop programme aimed at people like me. Initially I was really hesitant to start the workshop as I am extremely shy and reserved by nature. In fact, I decided to cancel my placement on the course because I was scared to leave my comfort zone. I was later contacted again by Making The Leap and invited to one of their careers fairs, where I spoke to a number of organisations that I was really interested in working for. It was at this point I decided to give the workshop another try and enrolled the following month.

I had a great time on the course, meeting some amazing people that were in a similar situation to me, which made me feel at ease as we all had relatable problems. During the workshop, I felt my confidence increasing with every task that we did. It opened my eyes to the various types of jobs out there and I realised that I did not need to limit myself to Finance. After completing the Making The Leap workshop, I remember thinking to myself that I should have completed the course earlier!

Since completing the course I decided to alter my job search and apply for jobs that I thought were interesting, rather than focus on jobs that match my degree. As a result of this I worked for a charity as an intern, which is something I never expected to do but ultimately enjoyed. Currently I have a job offer from HSBC, which I’m really excited about! In addition to this, I decided to apply for postgraduate courses as it was always something I wanted to do. Making The Leap provided a lot of support in helping me to write an amazing personal statement in the job and further education application sessions. So far, I have two offers from the Universities of Lancaster and Surrey. I really am in awe of all the opportunities that are heading my way!

Coming to Making The Leap really helped me get to this place. The workshop taught me that it is completely fine to aim as high as you can reach your goals if you work hard and persevere. I cannot recommend Making the Leap enough and I really hope any struggling graduates try the workshop.

By Vanessa, aged 23