The Postgraduate Award in Careers Leadership started as an opportunity to gain a recognised qualification for the work I was doing as Careers Leader in a Sixth Form College but it has been so much more than that for me. I chose the course at CLL because of the reputation of the institution (University of Warwick) in general and that of the Warwick Institute for Employment Research whose work I follow. The course lecturer, Dr John Gough, made the PGA course so relevant, enjoyable and challenging which I particularly valued. The backgrounds of the course participants were varied with some having had minimal exposure to Career Theory and others, like myself, having studied this area in some depth but John’s teaching approach ensured that everyone was sufficiently challenged and I learnt a great deal.

My time at CLL and writing my assignment for this PGA reignited my passion for academic study and research which has in turn led to a career pivot for me into a role as a Careers Consultant specialising in Widening Participation at another Russell Group university as well as launching my own Careers Consultancy business, Victoria Geary Careers Services. The grounding I received at CLL will hopefully, in due course, enable me to continue on to achieve an MA (maybe even eventually a PhD) and my experience has enabled me to approach my varied work with a critical eye and a renewed confidence in the career theories underpinning my practice which has proved essential while working in Widening Participation in HE and with a wide range of private clients, some experiencing significant uncertainty, in the context of 2020. In the difficult years to come I strongly believe that career development professionals will be a crucial part of the economic recovery. Thanks to my course at CLL I feel well prepared for the challenge.

Find out more about our PGAs in Career Education, Information and Guidance in Higher Education and in Career Development and Coaching Studies.