Strive Magazine by Emmi Bowles

STRIVE www.strive.co.uk ÂŁ3.99

Why you need to change jobs every 3 years

Working from home could make you a better worker

A Postgrad could make you more employable

ELLIE REES Meet the graduate working for the stars

Issue: 1 January 2017

January 2017

CONTENTS 4

THE BRIEF

• Why you should think about changing your career path soon. • Taking some time to work away from the office could be a massive benefit. • Are you earning more than the average of current graduates? • Find out why the graduates from 2014/15 are the best on record since 2006!

POSTGRAD 5POSSIBILITIES

Your options don’t have to be limmitted. Find out how a Postgraduate degree can give you the one up in life and make you unique. See how others have opened up doors they never would have dreamed of.

FROM THE EDITOR...

ELLIE REES S

Find out how this graduate started her own business and landed a job with singer Alesha Dixon just months after finishing her degree.

tupid. Nuts. 100% crazy - is what you are probably calling me for starting up a print magazine in the digital age. You are probably right but to get anywhere in life we have to try, try again and keep trying. This is what Strive Magazine is all about. Taking the plunge head first into something that ultimately may scare you, but the reward of succeeding will concour your fear. As a soon to be graduate I wanted a magazine that offered advice and news that I was interested in as I start my adult life giving me motivation to strive for what I wanted. I wanted to create a go to place for young

EMMI BOWLES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @emmixbowles

people transitioning into adulthood to get their answers - without going back to their parents with their tail between their legs. In this launch issue you will find out how a postgrad is a great option if you don’t know what to do after graduation [pg 5] , and how you can be seen as a professional no matter how old or new to the business you are [pg 6]. If you are a striver then get in touch. Enjoy!

STAY UPDATED

Follow us on social media and subscribe to our website for all the latest updates on jobs, workshops, opportunities and advice.

www.StriveMag.com /StriveMagazine @Strive_Mag @StriveMagazine StriveMagazine CONTACT US: 01612 809742 enquires@strivemagazine.com

GET INVOLVED The 2017 Winter Strive Conference February 4th at the Manchester Metropolitan University. 9am - 4pm Get connected with other professionals, quesiton our pannel of experts and update your skills at the next Strive conference. The next conference will focus on how social media can benefit you and your brand, tips and tricks for getting yourself noticed by employers, and how to make your business plan bullet proof. Including a talk from special guest Joseph Valente, last year’s winner of The Apprentice. Tickets are £50 each or £30 for subscribers. TO BOOK YOUR TICKET VISIT: www.strivemagazine.co.uk/ conference17

www.StriveMag.com

THE BRIEF GRADUATE SUCCESS

raduates from 2014/2015 have been the best class to date according to data from the HESA. Research by the Higher Education Statistics Agency shows that last year’s graduates have had SAVE YOUR UP THE the highest ratesWAY of employment, salary and best degrees in the past PROPERTY LADDER eight years. More than 236,000 graduates that were surveyed found themselves in a professional role after leaving university. This brings the average salary of a graduate up to £21,000, the highest in eight years. There are also more female graduates on a salary of £20,000£25,000 compared to men, but there is a larger percentage of men on a £25,000 plus salary accord to the data. Graduate unemployment has nearly halved since 2012, with only 5.9% of 2014/2015 graduates surveyed currently unemployed compared to the 8.8% in 2011/2012. Since the financial crisis in 2012 graduate employment in the UK has risen 3.8% with more than 309,000 graduates from 2014/15

currently in a job. With over half of those employed graduates are in a permanent job. There were also more than 7450,000 qualifications given to university graduates from 2014/2015. according ot the data. These graduates have also received the better academic standard of degrees with more than 81,000 receiving a first class honours degree, a massive increase from the 34,000 in 2005/2006.

time for a change?

ou should look to change jobs every three to four years, according to the former chief tallent officer at Netflix, Patty McCord. In an interview with Fast Company, McCord explained that job hoping is a good thing and young people should look to change their jobs every so often because “you build skills faster when chanign companies becuase of the learning curve.”

HOME SWEET HOME

recent survey by Cartridge People has shown that 60% of both remote and office workers are happier when working from home. Eighty six per-cent of home workers also said they ‘never’ felt lonely when working remotely and away from colleagues. With 30.5% of British employees working from home, 1 in 4 remote workers said it gives them the opportunity to be flexible and work around their friends and family.

January 2017

PERSONALISE IT WITH A POSTGRAD How Postgraduate study opens up your opportunities

Asad Masood

o to university. Graduate. Get a job. Coventry . 24 These are the steps of the average I settled on graduate. They study, they work Chemistry for my and they pay their bills. But graduate life undergraduate course because I was isn’t all about finding that job. With more good at it at school. funding available postgraduate degrees As I reached the end of my undergrad are becoming a route more graduates are I realised that I needed to do a PhD if I seeing as an option. wanted to further myself in the field. Postgraduate degrees can be done I was able to take other courses at most universities in the country, in different subjects for my with some being a postgraduate only postgradraduate - which was when institution. They can be a one year full I realised I liked business more than time course or two year part time course, chemistry and started Business MA. with self-taught or taught modules. Once I graduate I want to work in Although graduates can do a masters consulting or at a supply chain in the in something relevant to their undergrad process industry. degree it is not mandatory to have a degree in a field relating to your desired postgraduate course. A postgraduate degree can be completely “I realised that these two worlds different to your undergraduate degree, weren’t really all that different. I and sometimes this can be a lot better for developed a strong passion for art you in the long run. museums. As I did research about them I Being a professional with a specialist realised that museum studies had a lot to such as a history undergrad with a do with some areas I studied during my journalism postgrad can make you a undergrad.” leading specialist in that industry. Always knowing she wanted to do Having an undergrad in a something in the arts Ariadna language and going on to applied for her postgrad in do a communication order to combine both or business postgrad of her fields and open where a language skill an art space when she is important, can graduates. University can be a also make you more whirlwind at times and employable in the sometimes a realisation future. A masters could make occurs and you no Another reason you more employable longer want to do what graduates choose to take the you originally planned. postgraduate route is either Amanda Killelea, features writer because their desired undergrad wasn’t available at the time or to mix for The Daily Mail started out doing together two things they are passionate an economics degree at Manchester University. After taking a year out to about. Masters student, Ariadna Ybarra- travel she enrolled on a newspaper and Rojas, travelled from Nicaragua to study journalism degree. “It was the postgraduate study that the History of Art at the University of Warwick. Although she wanted to do made me realise what I wanted to do.” With a 2.1 or higher you are eligible to an arts degree it wasn’t an option at her first university so she ended up doing an enrol onto a postgrad course. This time next year you could be undergrad in Communication and PR. Whilst doing an undergrad she did an graduating in something you never would have thought about doing at 18. independent course in cultural studies.

Sarah Norwell

Berkshire . 36 Initially I did my undergrad in Politics and Italian at Birmingham, and had no idea what I wanted to do when I graduated. I ended up training as an English teacher when I graduated. I did my training here in the UK and my NQT year, then went abroad for 8 years to work in British international schools I was teaching senior school aged students in both Thailand and Dubai. Having been Head of English for the past three years I felt that I needed to gain a qualification in English to justify my role at the school. I returned to the UK in July and started my postgrad in English Literature this year. My biggest regret has always been not choosing English Lit as my first degree, but I guess I wouldn’t be doing a master’s if I had.

Lydia Wood Bristol . 27

I always loved languages and art at school and found it difficult to decide which subject I should specialise in for my university degree. I chose an art and design degree that offered the Erasmus scheme to study abroad in Germany. I then looked for MA courses in German and discovered Bristol’s MA in Modern Languages, which enabled me to study higher level German whilst broadening my research interest in visual culture. Now I work for a AHRC-funded research project, ‘Materialising Migration: Transcultural Textiles in Germany’. This interdisciplinary project combines both my interests language and visual culture. The project will hopefully lead to an exhibition of the textile artwork in the UK.

STRAIGHT TO THE TOP

www.StriveMag.com

Ellie Rees - from graduate to businesswoman in 5 months BY EMMI BOWLES

@emmixbowles

tarting your own business as a fresh graduate. You must be crazy? But Ellie Rees is far from it and took the plunge into the world of business, not even a year out of university. The 22-year-old graduated in Fashion and Brand Promotion at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) last year with the passion and determination to be her own boss. “I’ve always felt very entrepreneurial, and I’ve always wanted to work for myself. I’ve never wanted to work for someone else. I like having full creative control.” Ellie explained. Five months on and she has established herself as a brand and is ready to hit the ground running. Her business, Collab Media, is a social media consultancy offering independent

businesses the support to raise their social media profile. They also offer social media management services. With a collective social following of over 18,000 and a readership of 120,000 on her blog it is safe to say your social media accounts are in the right hands. As a blogger with a massive following Ellie always received messages from others asking for advice on how to gain a following. This was what sparked the idea to create her business. “I felt that there was a gap in the market for a consultancy business to help people and independent businesses with this side of social media.” After five months working from her home office in Middlesbrough, Collab Media has taken off, already opening up doors for the young entrepreneur. Ellie, who is also a fashion blogger at ‘Your Daily Dose of Style’ was invited to the launch of Alesha Dixon’s latest

Celebrating her achievements after her Graduation ceremony in 2016

collection for the clotheing brand Little Black Dress, in Manchester this summer. “I got to interview Alesha Dixon herself and she then went on to ask what I did as a career. I told her all about Collab Media.

“

The opportunities you get are endless

”

Alesha then offered me a job doing her social media for her collection and The Little Black Dress Company. “I did not expect to be giving my number and business card to Alesha Dixon!” Despite the success Collab Media has received so far, starting a business was not easy for Ellie and took a lot of confidence. With many of her friends and course mates going on to get internships and volunteer after graduating Ellie was the only one venturing into business. Luckily, entrepreneurship runs in the family with Ellie’s brother also running his own business. This also was a big motivation and inspiration for starting up her business this year. “I’ve seen how successful he has been and how proud he is of his achievements. So it just seemed like a natural progression for me once I graduated.” During her time at university, Ellie started blogging which helped to establish her own personal brand and open up opportunities for her. Her blogging adventure started on Instagram five years ago. After reaching a high number of followers over numerous accounts, the fashionista decided to start fresh in 2013 when she started her degree in Preston at UCLan. “I had heard a lot about blogging and a lot of my friends encouraged me to start a

January 2017

Ellie Rees, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Ferrari PA to Alesha, and Julie Connaughton from Gossip Magazine blog when people started asking me where I bought things from on my Instagram. “It wasn’t until my course leader encouraged me to start a blog that I took the plunge.” Your Daily Dose of Style which has a readership of 120,000 to date was a stepping stone for the blogger to work with some amazing brands and earn some money alongside her studies. “It really doesn’t feel like a job. I get to work with brands I love on a day to day basis and get invited to lots of amazing events for free. “The opportunities you get are endless.” The blogger and businesswoman has worked with the likes of the student discount website UNiDAYS and fashion brands Lipsy London, AX Paris and Foot Aslyum over the past three years. “It has given me confidence and I’ve overcome my anxiety and grown as a person over the last three years. “A lot of people took the mickey out of me and I think that it came across that I just loved myself from their point of view, with all the outfit pictures. But now those people are coming to me for help and advice which is funny.” The business woman, who loves The Apprentice and idolises Alan Sugar, thinks that you shouldn’t compare yourself to others but instead look back at where you

@collabmedia_

were a year ago in comparison to today. Her words of advice for anybody looking to start a business is “don’t copy one”. “You have to be 100% passionate about the idea to make it work.” She also believes in setting the groundwork while you are at university.

“

so I just try and do as much as I can. “If I love my job as much as I do now, in a year, then I will be very happy.” With the possibility of Collab Media taking on another member of staff and moving into an office space next year it is clear the business is going to continue to grow, and Ellie is a prime example of what a determined young woman can do.

It has given me confidence and I’ve overcome my anxiety

”

“I did three internships and two volunteering roles while at university to get the experience so I could set up my business once I left. A lot of graduates wait until they finish to do this.” Ellie says she takes “each day as it comes. New opportunities arise every day for me

/collabmediaa

Whilst running her own business she still has time for fashion and blogging

@elliereess.co

collabmedia.co.uk

PR ADVERT