Morgan Skeels-Caldwell

BA History, 2021

Ambitions for the future:

Moving up the ranks of the police and moving into a specialist area of policing such as counter terror or anti corruption.

Detective Constable in Greater Manchester Police

Describe your current role and what attracted you to it.

I am currently a Detective Constable in the criminal investigation department in Greater Manchester Police. My role is to investigate the serious and complex crime within the area that I work. This can be any sort of crime from high value theft, fraud and property office, kidnapping and violent offences involving firearms and other weapons. I was attracted to this role because I knew I didn't want to do something that was all desk based and that would allow me to work as part of a team and interact with people. It also is really interesting work and there isn't any job like it.

What are the key skills you learnt at Warwick that have helped you with your career to date?

The biggest thing I learnt from doing my degree was unpicking a lot of information quickly and then putting it all together to come to conclusion. This really is the same skills as being a detective. I can come in in the morning to a new job that has happened over night and very quickly have to use the knowledge and skills I already have to try and gather the information to get to the bottom of what has happened. This is very similar to how I would go about doing an essay during university. I'd be given a question and I'd have to use the information I had to answer the question so having built this skill throughout university has been very valuable.

Did you have a specific career path in mind when you chose to study at Warwick?

I have always loved history since I was very young. I didn't have a particular career in mind when I left school but knew I wanted to do a degree. I decided because of this that it was best to do a degree that I was going to enjoy and would challenge me but that would also leave multiple career options open for me.

What top tips do you have for Warwick graduates who would like to work in your sector?

My top tip firstly is to not think the police is not something you are suited for or isn't right. There are so many different roles from more physical like specialist operations such as Firearms and the tactical aid unit to more office based investigation roles like CID and serious organised crime team to more victim and safeguarding based roles like child protection and domestic abuse teams. No matter what your skills there is something you'll be good at.

What has been your greatest career challenge to date and how did your experience and skills help overcome it?

The biggest challenge has often been the long hours and high expectations. After all the police are a public service and people expect when they call up for help to get that help. It therefore require good organisation and a great deal of determination. These are thinks that I had to have to keep on top of my degree and to do well in it and the same traits have carried over to my work life.

What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were applying for jobs?

I never realised at the time of applying for job how valuable work experience and internships are. Seeing my younger sibling and his friends in some cases literally walk into job with the same level of qualification as me. They are something that can really make you stand out and show you are capable. If you can get something in a field you want to work for brilliant but sometimes just havening something shows that you have skills such as communication teamwork and dealing with people which are quite hard to evidence with your degree alone.