Jessica Bayley studied History at the University of Bristol. A stint of temping work in the public sector led her to the University of Birmingham where she is now completing a Masters in Public Service Management.
When I graduated I decided to volunteer. I was provided with a seven-month voluntary placement at a Scottish council by Community Service Volunteers (CSV), which required me to work in two roles; as a housing support worker with vulnerable young people and as a ‘befriender’ of local children.
It was a challenging responsibility, not least because I was required to support people who were only a few years younger than myself at the time. However, it was this experience that convinced me that I wanted to work in a public service environment. At the end of my placement I did temping work in a number of organisations, often in the public and non-profit sectors. By this point I’d realised that I wanted to complete a postgraduate course, so I arranged to do temporary assignments over the following 18 months to pay for the course.
I chose the University of Birmingham because it is renowned for its excellent academic performance, which appealed to me when I was trying to decide where to study. In addition, the School of Public Policy has a particularly good reputation.
The course I am studying isn’t cheap, so my parents are helping me out with the fees. All other expenses, such as rent, bills and leisure activities have been paid for using the savings from my temping work.
High standard
The course is intended to provide or expand the skills of prospective and existing managers who want to or already work for public service organisations. Therefore, this course should theoretically enable me to work effectively in junior management roles in organisations throughout the public, voluntary and community sectors.
I believe that postgraduate study is worth the cost as both the tuition and administration of this course are at an excellent standard. I also believe, though, that the worth of postgraduate study is determined by the effort of the postgraduate.
I believe postgraduate study, although increasingly undertaken by more and more graduates, provides students with an advantage in an environment where more and more graduates are competing for the same jobs. It provides students with intellectual stimulation, and the opportunity to discover disciplines and skills not explored during their undergraduate degree.
My course has provided me with the chance to learn from the knowledge and experience of both academics and practitioners on the course, which I hope will provide me with more realistic expectations of working in the public sector than I would have had without the postgraduate study. However, one of the major disadvantages of being a postgraduate are the financial constraints of student life, which becomes particularly difficult when returning to academia after working full time.
Name: Jessica Bayley
