Am I Prepared For A Career?

How I've developed my skills in the past year

I have been thinking more about my future since completing the career management module for my Psychology degree. This module aims to determine and develop my personal qualities and apply these qualities to a potential career. We were given two options: a short placement or a confidence workshop. I decided to choose the confidence workshop which I believed I was more suited to, as before this course I had not considered myself the most confident person. This workshop offered opportunities for self-evaluation, communication with others, and the chance to really push me out of my comfort zone by doing a presentation. Although all of this was moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the way the course was laid out and delivered online managed to overcome this. The first assignment I completed was the task of creating a CV and cover letter for the job I felt best suited me out of a list of options, which was mentoring for the charity ReachOut. I felt that I would be the most suited for this job because I mentored a student in the year below me at sixth form, but I was not familiar with advanced CV writing skills and how to write a cover letter that fit the job specifically. I had written more basic CVs for supermarket jobs in the past but applying my experience to a more advanced profession was a foreign concept to me. However, the guidance and examples given helped me to understand how to approach this and I was able to create a CV and cover letter that was far more developed than ones I had previously written. This changed my perception of what life would be like upon leaving university. I had previously thought that applying for a career would be incredibly difficult, but I became more confident about it through completing this assignment. The presentation assignment also helped me to feel more prepared for a career, as it involved stepping out of my comfort zone whilst learning about confidence specifically. This presentation was on improving confidence, and through researching for this presentation I found ways to do this myself. For example, Amy Cuddy (2012) proved that using more open body language and “faking” confidence until you “become it” is an effective way to improve confidence. Carrying out the presentation itself also helped- I did find it quite nerve-wracking despite it being online, but after more attempts than I care to admit, finally completing it made me considerably more comfortable in my public speaking ability. I think that this skill will benefit me not only during job interviews but also during my career. In conclusion, I do feel a lot more prepared for a career than if I had been writing this a year ago and I am excited to further develop my skills and find a job that I will enjoy.