Michelle's job log: 1

The story so far... Michelle Gage left university last year and found a job a few months later.

Those were the student days

 

It’s freshers week again but I’m not even a student never mind a fresher; and living in  Manchester, the most studenty city ever, is just rubbing it in my face. This year I did intend to go back to uni, but took so long thinking about what I actually wanted to do and where and finance and all those other little things that come with going to uni that I missed deadlines, missed clearing, missed out for another year. So here I am a year after graduating and still very, very uncertain about what I want to do. I’m still pining for the student life but loving getting paid at the end of each month rather than waiting for the next student loan instalment.

I’m working in what is basically an admin role, not really what I went to uni for, but it’s good. I mean the people are nice, the pay’s not bad and the whole flexi-time thing is ideal for someone like me who has no concept of time. But saying that there is always that feeling that I’m missing out on something. It feels like such a blow to the social life, not going out at least three times a week, and the weekends just seem to fly by. I now know what the infamous ‘I hate Mondays’ statement is all about.

Finding the job

After graduating last year with a degree in Property Asset Management I managed to get interviews for the only two jobs I had bothered to apply for. One was with a property company in Birmingham and one at the University of Manchester. The first interview I went to was the property job and was for a property administrator, which I didn’t really want to do but thought it would give me some valuable experience. I was interviewed by two property managers who really tested my knowledge of the industry, even though I’d already forgotten most of the things that I’d learnt at uni. I walked away thinking ‘there’s no way I got that’ after trying to blag my way through their competency questions. But then a few hours later I got a call asking me whether I’d like to be considered for another job within their company as a trainee property manager. I was over the moon, thinking that I’d found a job in the industry in which I had a degree so soon after graduating. They asked me to come back for a second interview where they asked me more property-related questions, but this time I’d read over some of my old uni notes so kind of knew what I was on about.

The next day they called me and told me that they would like to put me on a fast track scheme where I would become a property manager within six months, but when they told me the salary I was none too impressed. Three years at uni for such an average salary I thought, but then at least the experience would look good on my CV. I considered it, and they told me that the final stage in the recruitment process was to prepare a presentation on a subject of my choice and present it to the staff within the company. I got onto it right away. Anyway, during the in between time I had before presenting in Birmingham I got a call from the university inviting me for an interview for a job that I’d decided to apply for after temping at Birmingham City University during the summer, which I had really enjoyed. So I went up to Manchester with my mum and two cousins, who just saw it as an excuse to go on a shopping spree, and was interviewed by a friendly panel of four. A few days later I was told I had got the job.

It was more money than the property job and the thought of moving away from the Midlands appealed to me as I hadn’t moved away for uni. It felt like the hardest decision of my life, with everyone telling me I was so lucky to even have two good options. Anyway after a couple of days deliberating I went with the Manchester job, where I’ve been for seven months. At first I loved it, not to say that I hate it now, but the routine of work is something I just can’t seem to get used to, and I could never see myself as one of those people who stay in the same job for years. But the fact that there are people out there that have been with one company for more than five years makes me optimistic that there is a job out there for me, but I have no idea what career will give me the job satisfaction that I’m looking for. For now I’m doing an evening course at college to hold on to a bit of my student status, and allowing me to still get my student discount when I go shopping.

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