What can I do with my degree? 

Developing your ‘Employability’ throughout university will put you in a great position to apply for graduate opportunities in the future. Here are just some of the things you can be doing to boost your graduate prospects:

• Build your experience
• Gain part-time work
• Meet employers
• Develop your skills

If you’re not sure where to begin, our Career Choices information is a really useful place to start. You can look at different career options based on your degree, skills, interests and motivations.

Many employers will recruit graduates from a wide variety of degree subjects, so it’s worth exploring all your options, even if there doesn’t seem to be a clear link with your degree. Over the course of your studies you’ll develop a broad range of transferrable skills which will be relevant to lots of different roles.

Careers are built over a number of years, and throughout your working life it’s increasingly common to have several careers, working in different roles and industries. As a new graduate, you don’t have to know what you want to do for the rest of your working life, just your next step - and we can help you to figure that out.

If you do know what you want to do after graduation but need some help in getting there or have some ideas about your career path but could use some further advice, we can help support with that too!

There are different types of graduate jobs out there so it’s useful to look at your options to see which type of role could be a good fit for you. These include:

• Graduate Schemes or Programmes
  

  A structured training programme, generally 1-2 years in length, usually working for a large employer and gaining experience in different parts of the organisation. You often need to apply for these in the Autumn term before starting the following summer.

• Graduate Jobs (Direct Entry)
  

  The majority of graduate employers offer these type of roles, so there’s opportunity to work for both large or small organisations. You’ll apply to work in a specific role at the organisation and this might be on a fixed or permanent contract. You would generally apply for these roles in your final semester as recruitment timeframes can be quite quick.

• Self-employment
  

  Freelancing or starting your own business is another option to you as a graduate. You can also consider a portfolio career - a mixture of employed and self-employed work, which can offer a blend of security and flexibility.

• Academic or research roles
  

  If you’re interested in postgraduate study, a career in academia might be something you could explore in the future. Academic roles can be very different depending on your skills, experience and place of work. Some may have a teaching focus, a research focus or a mix of both. You can also use your transferrable skills to work outside of academia.

We provide lots of support in searching and applying for graduate jobs. We advertise thousands of opportunities each year and run regular workshops to help prepare you for a graduate career. Our Get Hired series is a really useful way to learn about how employers recruit and ensure that you're well prepared for each stage of the selection process.

There’s lots of support available if you’re interested in applying for further study. Our ‘Why choose Postgraduate Study’ pages provide advice on studying at postgraduate level, including finding the right course, funding and making a great application. If you’re interested in working in a particular industry, remember to check if you need a postgraduate qualification – such as a professional accreditation to apply.

We have offer over 190 different postgraduate courses at Leeds Beckett, so check out our postgraduate study information and course pages if you think this could be for you.