Should part time work for students be banned? A response.

So in the Guardian Education section, there is a really interesting article that a lot of students have been responding to. The article illustrates both sides of the argument, should part time work for students be banned? 

Obviously you know from the nature of this blog, we of course will argue NO, and here's why: 

Firstly, if part time work was banned, a lot of students wouldn't be able to afford their bills, or all important nights out, because even though the government reckon your parents will stump up loads of cash... they probably don't. 

Secondly, a work life balance is really important. One student commented that if they had a part time job, the job would be a chore for them and they wouldn't be able to focus on their studies. Many of us find part time work a great source for procrastination. It gets you out of the flat/house and you get to meet new people that aren't all students, (i.e. you get different conversations). 

Most importantly, away from the extra money and socialisation, you are proving to future employers that you have done more than score a certain percentage in the majority of your exams, you have also gone out and worked for something. 

Nobody wants to employ someone who has sat on their backside at uni, drinking tea and watching countdown and not done any outside work at all, (we can all drink tea and watch countdown to an extent). 

You gain excellent skills that you might take for granted, like responsibility, i.e. managing to turn up to work with a hangover and realising maybe next time you could give the hangover a miss. Other things you could mention on your CV may be, working a customer facing role. Your part time work may even be directly related to your degree course which is a bonus! 

You also make great contacts, many people even find full time employment at their part time place of work after graduation, such as management schemes etc. 

The opinion offered in this article which argues against part time employment comes from a student at the University of Cambridge. 

Now, their university structure is quite different to others, they only have 8 week terms, so have to do all their work in that time. There is also the expectation of 3 or 4 essays handed in a week, as well as monitoring over reading etc. We know that isn't the same at every university, and obviously from course to course you may have more or less time than someone else. For instance if you're studying Chemistry you are highly likely to have more hours than someone studying a more literary degree. 

Whether you undertake part time work or not should be up to you. If you feel you have the time, we would all encourage you to get involved. You don't have to work many hours, it could be anywhere from 4 hours on a saturday to, let's say 15 hours a week. If you feel it's too much, don't be afraid to have a word with a manager and see if you can resolve the issue rather than let the pressure get you. But we don't feel you could ban part-time work for students that want it without ruining the job market in the process. 

If you would like to see further comments on this article please view the Guardian's Education twitter account, (@Guardianedu),
or read the article here http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jan/16/should-universities-ban-part-time-work-students?CMP=twt_gu 

Back with a bang for 2014

Firstly, a big apology for the lack of posts as of late! 

The team have been busying away and are now ready for a flurry of posts for 2014! 

This is our promise to keep the information fresh, relevant and more importantly consistent from now on! 

We are also going to be revamping our twitter to ensure we stay up to date and in touch! 

If you have any topics you would like covering please feel free to contact us either through our twitter (@StudentCTheory) or on here! 

Thank you for your readership,

All at Student Capital Theory 

'I'm going to pass those tests dead easy'

You can't actually look inside as I have stolen this from Amazon

Recently, the time has come upon us, that we must apply for internships. Now most of us will know, for large companies this is not an easy process. There is a rigorous selection process, involving usually around 3 if not 4 stages. For those of you that don't know, here is what they may involve: 

- Online application

- Verbal and Numerical Reasoning tests

- Skype or telephone interview

- Assessment centre day

Here we will focus on the most dreaded of them all - the reasoning tests. 

Now for many of my friends studying more maths based subjects, there was a general feeling that these would be a breeze. However, many of them have fallen at this hurdle. The questions were worded in a very specific way, a business-like way, or they felt the pressure, they ran out of time, and that was it - game over. Internship opportunity over. 

This all sounds rather worrying doesn't it? Especially for those of you applying for internships from a less maths-based background. But never fear, there is a solution. 

Firstly, depending on which role you are applying for, the reasoning test will vary. So if you're applying for a financial role, the questions will be substantially more difficult than for someone say, applying for a marketing role. But that is to expected as the role you will carry out on the job will require a substantially larger proportion of your time crunching numbers. 

Secondly, the tests are largely from the same provider. Usually when applying for internships, the company will direct you to a sample questions site. It is really important to practise first but  we will come on to that next. Anyway, the questions are likely to come from similar companies if not the same one, as they are usually externally sourced. Therefore, once you get an idea of the questions, if you complete one and manage to work it out, it would be wise to keep these notes/ your workings for when you complete the next one. This will both save you time and prevent a large feeling of annoyance at yourself that you are 'sure you've seen this question before'. 

Finally, the practise really is key here. Don't go in feeling over confident. Invest in at least one book with example questions in, a large range are available from Amazon. As well as giving you tips on the workings of the questions, they will also explain how to approach them and the way to feel relaxed whilst doing them. It's simple things like, you're against the clock, but don't panic because realistically you are not expected to finish the test. It is also important to buy a book that was recently published as changes in psychometric tests are likely to occur and so an older book may leave you ill-equipped for a newer test. 

Additionally, remember that the verbal reasoning test is just as important as the numerical one, as it gives an indication to how you would cope in different situations, letting the company quickly know if you're the kind of person they would be looking to employ. 

*It is also important not to get someone to do the test for you as when you are invited to an assessment centre it will definitely look a bit off if the person who got 70% on the online test now only gets 5... 

If you're applying or have applied - good luck when your tests come up and remember preparation is key. 

Didn't you know about Prospects?

It was a surprise to me recently that my friends weren't aware of the Prospects website. 

This is possibly THE best website for planning your career. 

Prospects offers information on every career you could possibly go into. Along with these it describes the qualifications recommended to entering the sector and if you don't have them how to get them. The experience employers look for. Expected salary after 'x' years in the profession. Where the jobs are available. Links to advertised jobs in that sector available NOW. Testimonials from people in that sector who are recent graduates who explain how they got into it. 

It will tell you about jobs you didn't even know existed. It can help you get a career goal, which will drive on your academic work as well as the experiences you choose to have. 

I know this seems like an advert for this website, but when I was unsure of what career to go into, it let me explore every possible option, built my motivation and let me know how to get to my career destination - all from the comfort of my own home! When you're on the homepage look for 'Options with your subject'. But don't think of these options as a limit, keep looking round the site and you will find there are many more careers you could consider too! 

So go on, give Prospects a go. 

www.prospects.ac.uk 

I'm rich, but I'm sad.. is it worth it?

Again I am taking the opportunity to address an argument I hear every day. People's eyes light up when you tell them a career has a good wage attached to it and even maybe attractive bonuses, sometimes even without knowing what the job entails! Is this the job they really want? Or is the promise of money clouding their judgement? 

Of course, you might be one of the lucky few who goes into a career that they love and are also minted doing it. The rest of us wish you only success (not really but this isn't a bitterness blog is it?) 

But what do you do if you find yourself chasing the money rather than the dream? If you land the job everyone's been vying for but find you hate it? 

Firstly, like most situations, take a step back and remember this is not the end of the world. You've only just started and it is much easier to switch careers now than later on in life. Many people have said to me before to consider the industry I would like to work in as I will probably stay in that industry forever. Well, how do we know which industry we want to work in? We've not worked in them yet! 

My advice here would be, really consider the jobs you are applying for when you graduate. Is this the kind of career you see yourself in? Is it a stepping stone? Do you have an end goal? Don't just go for a job because it pays well - this is the rest of your life we're talking about here, you need to be happy! 

Don't give in to the peer pressure of people around you saying how much they earn, trying to compete, feeling like if you go into a low paid job that it isn't ok. Make your own career path, for what you want, not to please other people. 

You might think, it's all very well you saying this, but of course it's important to be rich. 

I would agree with you, it is important to have money. But everyone has a different definition of what is rich, and everyone has a different definition of what they want from a job or how hard they are willing to work. 

So what should you take away from this? 

1) Plan what you want from your career. Undoubtedly it will take you places you never expected but you can at least try and steer yourself in the direction you want rather than just taking a job in an industry you have no interest in because it pays well. 

2) Give it a chance. I'm not saying if you don't like your new job leave after the first week, but if you really feel it's taking you down a path you don't want, change paths. 

3) Prepare. Gaining work experience in different industries will help you to decide what kind of route you want to take, and knowing that before you apply can save years of stress and worry. 

4) It's ok to change your mind. People always change their minds. It is much easier to change your mind earlier, but at any age people change careers and lifestyles, it isn't impossible. Don't feel like you're letting anyone down, you're just doing the right thing for you. 

5) If it doesn't happen straight away, that doesn't mean it will never happen. Hang in there, take opportunities. 

Most importantly of all, it is human nature to compare yourself to other people. But you must remember, what makes someone else happy might not work for you. Therefore, do what is right for you, money or no money. Some people might be happier the more money they have and that's fine. But as far as I'm concerned money may as well be worthless if you aren't getting what you want from your life. 

What's my bar job worth?

I recently started a bar job at uni and whilst being a great little earner to feed my shopping habits, it's also got some other perks that may be overlooked. So whilst Mum and Dad might say you "need to concentrate on your studies", or you just think you've got too much reading to do (but you're not doing it are you, you're watching Iplayer and eating biscuits), you could be missing out on the benefits of a part time job at uni: 

1) Widen your connections. 

From people that pop in for a drink to the people you work with, you create contacts in people that know you well, because they work with you a lot, and therefore are perfect to get in touch with in the future for work. Saying that, sometimes it's nice to just get away from the people you see all the time and you might make friends for life in a part time job. 

2) It's still relevant work experience! 

Some may say a bar job offers no value when you apply for a "real job", but that is just not true. It shows you have something about you, going out and getting a job to support yourself. It also shows you're interested in more than just your studies. You do gain useful skills, for instance, team work, organisation (planning your degree work around your job), plus many more. 

3) You learn how to pull a pint 

I don't mean you literally learn how to pull a pint, as this could apply to any part time job at University. I mean you learn basic life skills, such as getting yourself up in the morning for work. Interacting with new people. If you've never worked a day in your life before, you will be a lot more nervous the first day you do go to work than if you've been going to work for a few days a work for the past two years, or even just a year! 

4) Try and stay in the job

I'm not saying aspire to work in a bar forever, but not packing it in too quickly could be the best thing you ever do... By showing you have worked somewhere continuously for a couple of years, you will be able to show dedication to a job, as well as overcoming hurdles. There are some graduates that can't say they have stayed in a job for longer than a few months; that doesn't scream reliability. Don't be that guy. Give it a proper go. 

Like I said earlier, this isn't just about bar jobs, but any job at uni. Remember any experience is good experience and the value placed on a part time job by employers is vastly underrated. 

Student of the Week - Lucy Kerrigan, London Internship

This week's student really shows how much you can gain from just a couple of weeks on an internship. After contacting companies herself, Lucy was lucky enough to gain some amazing degree-relevant experience. Here she tells us more...   

"I’m a Marketing and Advertising student at Sheffield Hallam University and over the summer I moved to East London to work with a Digital Production company based in Shoreditch. I joined the company at a crucial time in the development stages of the IOS app, Lively- currently just days away from going to the App store, which feels very surreal.

I worked fairly autonomously to begin with, which was surprising. I gained different skillsets which didn’t only branch off from the Lively project, but also other small projects within the company, mostly software related such as Photoshop and the basics of coding. I met some really inspiring people and I think that’s important no matter what you do or where you go. My daily itinerary varied from week to week. I gathered insights from international BETA users, creating a usability promo video, attending meetings , conferences and workshops and writing press releases. I quickly realised how important gaining these perspectives were, it is quite easy to miss minor or even major bugs without a fresh pair of eyes.

When things weren’t so busy in the office I was able to explore London while uploading content for the app- dream job? However, it wasn’t all play and no work. Armed to the teeth with business cards and working a stone throw away from ‘The Gherkin’, obviously I felt like I was on The Apprentice, except I was in the weaker team. It was pretty challenging to market/pitch an app that wasn’t even finished yet. I really hope I never get rejected so much in such a short space of time again, I just wanted to run home and listen to Busted.

It did get better though, I was invited to a Google Campus convention which meant I could build contacts and talk about potential placement prospects face to face, steering well away from the hustle and bustle of emails, phone interviews etc, which I was already too familiar of. Above all, I wore a trendy name sticker and got free crisps. This was a particular highlight for me, not the crisps, but the contacts I made. I have a few safety nets heading into my second year and preparing myself for my third year in industry.

Of course when I returned from London (and straight back to my beloved costa coffee) my mum had gone a bit insane as a result of my absence. She’d bought a blackboard biscuit tin and written on the side ‘EMPTY L’. Although, after a cup of tea and a catch up I was let in on the secret that the biscuit tin wasn’t actually empty at all, It’s not always what you know it’s who you know, right?" 

Lucy raises some interesting points here about networking, which with upcoming events at universities all over the country will definitely be a topic I will discuss further. More than anything though, Lucy really demonstrates the fantastic opportunities that are available if you are just willing to put yourself out there. To be able to list experiences such as this on your CV will be sure to impress an employer, so give it a go yourself! The best ways to contact an employer may be by email, but a focussed email, targeting that company in particular. If you don't hear back, try a follow up telephone call so they can see you are serious. It doesn't have to be a really well known company, but every company should have something to offer.

If you would like to be featured here or know somebody who should contact us via twitter @StudentCTheory