I’d be lying if I told you that during my second year of University I did anything useful towards my future career aspirations. Which is why I am giving all current second year students a heads up-be productive!

After the fitting in and fun of first year, I know second year can be daunting. The year that grades REALLY start to matter, the year you possibly end up living off campus with your friends (often concluding in house parties, barbeques and general car crash television with your housemates-therefore a LOT of Jeremy Kyle), you’re generally not thinking of what your immediate plans will be after University-I know I didn’t! The image of me in the big wide world searching for a job and no longer being a student was a depressing one and I refused to think about it. But truthfully, second year flies by before you know it and it’s an essential year to sort out what you want to do after University, and by the last term of third year my opinion had changed dramatically and I personally couldn’t wait go out and find a job with a real wage! I know it’s hard to believe, but you’ll probably feel the same way too.

Today in a number of professions, work experience is essential, and it is becoming harder and harder to obtain. The best advice to give is start as early as possible and second year is the year to begin! While it’s still possible to begin looking for jobs or work experience in third year, it is much more difficult, being the ultimate year to pull off your expected grade. During third year I had to take a week off from University for a work experience placement which was not ideal, juggle a dissertation and coursework with volunteering for the newspaper while also applying for potential jobs after Uni. Learn from my mistake and take the easier route!

With some placements only available for students, apply to as many as you can while you’re studying during your second year, in the hope of receiving some during your Easter or Christmas break or even during Summer when companies need all the help they can get. Also it never hurts to join a society or volunteer-it’s great for your CV and it’s much easier to get on board with a society in second year rather than busy third.

Get applying second years and good luck!