Louise Phillips
1. Briefly outline your journey from leaving school to where you are today
After leaving Sackville with A-levels in Geography, Maths and Biology I got a place at Bristol University to study Geography. I studied in Bristol for 4 years and absolutely loved it – highlights included a field trip to Switzerland, carrying out research in Greenland and two really interesting and challenging dissertations, all on top of being involved in some fantastic societies and sports clubs. All in all, I had a amazing experience at University, made some great friends and really enjoyed my course. Sadly 4 years came to an end and it was time to leave student life behind. I graduated from Bristol with my M.Sci and headed out into the “real world”.
I was lucky enough to secure a job on the Civil Service Analytical Fast Stream during my final year of Uni, so after finishing Uni I spent 2 months travelling in South America and came back to start work as an Assistant Statistician in the Department for Work and Pensions in London. I work in the Social Justice division, an area which I find particularly interesting and motivating. I’ve been there 7 months now and am really enjoying the challenging nature of the job, using a combination of analytical and communication skills on a daily basis.
2. One piece of advice you would give your 16 year old self
Enjoy school while it lasts and take every opportunity you can. While getting the grades is obviously really important, I think it’s often the little extra-curricular things that you remember most when you leave school, and these can also be really useful to have on the CV!
3. Any stand-out moments of your progression from school to now (interviews, moving away from home etc.)
Moving to Bristol for Uni. Moving out at university is a great way to become independent and learn how to do a variety of things – from cooking, to house hunting and shopping around for the best energy prices, while knowing you have the support of the university there if you need it.
4. Best and Worst parts of the job or course you are doing now
I remember on my first day at University when my parents left, having this scary but exciting realisation of not knowing anyone and starting a whole new chapter.
5. Describe a normal day in your working or studying life
Some of the trips I was lucky enough to go on – from trekking in Iceland to standing in rivers in Wales, all were so much fun and I can only thank the staff for putting in the time to organise them.