Dan Mian
Marketing Professional at BT
I don’t believe that your degree subject defines your career. I think no matter the degree, you develop excellent transferable skills which will be relevant for many career paths.
My degree was very broad so it helped me to think analytically and logically, this meant I was able to understand different people’s perspectives. A few of the economics modules helped with my business/commercial acumen and my Geography modules helped me understand the world around me so it helped me grow as a person.
To be honest, there’s no substitute for experience so I’d say just throw yourself into things – that’s the best way to learn what you do and don’t want to do in your career.
Post 16 Education: A Levels Economics, Geography & English Language
Higher Education: BSc (Hons) Geography with Economics
I focused more on Human Geography modules looking at the movement of people and learning about key historical movements such as the industrial revolution, globalisation and migration.
Economics helped me developed my understanding of how businesses and the world operates financially. It was more logical with geography being analytical. Switching between the two was difficult – from writing essays to doing maths equations – but it helped me be unique.
Dan’s Career
I’m a Marketing Professional at BT – looking after the marketing strategy and execution for several BT businesses. I am also an Assessor on the BT graduate and apprentice assessment Centres and Comms Lead for BT’s Ethnic Diversity Network. As well as working full time at BT, I am the Founder of Gradvance – a career coaching company I set up to help students and graduates start their careers.
Why did I start Gradvance?
I really struggled to get a graduate job in 2015 and faced a lot of rejection. Four months later I secured a role in sales but I quickly realised this wasn’t for me. The following year I decided to give the big graduate schemes another try. I did some self-reflection and completely changed my approach to applications. It worked and I secured a place on the 2017 BT Graduate Scheme.
Dan's advice
Start thinking about what career options are available now. It’s never too early to research.
Learn about the different industries that are out there (i.e. Tech, Construction, Telecommunications, Education etc), then look at what companies operate in those industries and how they’re set up. This will give you an idea of the types of roles that are available. You might find yourself thinking that you would enjoy working in a particular field and that it suits your strengths. That could prompt you to speak to people in those roles (LinkedIn is an amazing platform for this) and gain some experience.
º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ offers undergraduate degrees in:
Geography, Geography and Management, Geography and Sport Science, Geography with Economics.