​Q: What steps did you take while still in college that helped you get the job you have now?

I looked at the people in the years above me who seemed to be on the right track and
asked myself what were they doing. Even the job I have now I applied for because I saw
people above me in college go through the same processes and end up working there. I
spoke to them to find out about these companies and their application processes.
The big thing I would recommend is getting to know older people in your college, the first
reason it’s fantastic is notes. It just makes your whole life easier. Especially for first years, it helps bridge the gap between all the help you get in school and then suddenly having none of that in college. You can learn so much from the older students because they’ve had a few years to make the mistakes you are trying to avoid. Again the best way to meet these
people is outside the classroom, through sports clubs and socs. Everyone wants to pass on
their advice to younger students because they may have not had that in your spot.

Q: What is the one regret you have from college?

I won’t say I wish I studied more or went to more lectures lets knock that one on the head. One thing I wish I did more was to ask lecturers for their straight-up advice and ask your lecturers more questions in general. Although I think other students are a great help, Lecturers really are there to help you and they want you to speak to them and ask them questions. I didn’t do it until my fourth year and I didn’t realise how helpful they were until I started talking to them. It helps you as well because you’re lecturers see you turning up and participating and having a first name basis really helps when it comes to assignments and exams. If there’s a problem then they are so much more likely to understand and help you.

Q. What has been your path since you graduated in May 2018?

So after I finished college I did the Washington Ireland program for the summer. From
June to August I was in New York. The program is in New York and D.C and it’s a mix of
political lobbying and business work, it’s unpaid but they provide accommodation for you. After that, I took some time off, which I would definitely recommend. Whether it’s
volunteering, travelling or staying at home just take some time to switch off. It’s good to get a different experience from uni and the work environment. I wouldn’t say college was the most intense or stressful period of my life but it’s a good feeling to go from all these deadlines and tests to nothing but the free time it’s very liberating. The tricky part is not getting too used to it.
So after the WIP programme, I took a month back home then two months travelling then
another couple months back home. A lot of people start work then take a break after a
while but for me, I wanted to wait to start work and then get straight into it because I had taken the time off and felt ready. It’s tough to start work and build up momentum if you plan to take a year out down the line soon. You can take that time off after college to really figure out what you want to do as well which is very important because a lot of people go into jobs straight away and find out too late that they don’t really like it or they are not the right fit. The nice thing about where I work now (Accenture) is they let me choose my start time if you’re able to have any say in it at all try and push back your start time just to have a period of now pressure from uni or work. Anyone I’ve spoken to who’s done the same has said they are so glad they took the time off. So I took an internship in the summer after the third year with Accenture and worked a lot with Electric Ireland. The application process for their internship was very easy I just sent my CV and a couple of months later I got an email to say that I had an interview. Because I had an internship I was able to get an insight into the interview process for the grad scheme and even though I still had to interview for the grad job I didn’t have to go through the same obstacles as many others did. I feel like grad schemes are a nice way to transition from college to real work, there’s a lot of young people and everyone is flexible and still finding their feet. You will meet a lot of people two or three years above you who can help you out just like in college really.
I still think it’s very tricky to value the validity of an internship because there’s so much
value in other stuff that you can do. I would definitely seriously consider doing an internship after 3rd or 4th year though. But go with your gut because for some people they will get more value and meaning from a summer abroad travelling than an internship. But the advantage from an internship is even if you come out of it thinking it was horrible you can still use the experience for next year and you can still put it down on your CV. You can also rule out that company or career for you. They can really be a lucky draw though.