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Transition

Introduction

In our lifetimes, we all experience a series of changes: some major and some minor. Dealing successfully with change is an important skill that we need to develop over time.

This section will help you to develop your awareness of the change process, learn from past experiences of change, and apply your learning to future change you are anticipating. Change or transition has been the subject of a considerable amount of research and there is a good deal of agreement as to the nature of the process we go through. It can be very helpful to understand this process, the feelings that go with it and what is normal.

Transition

Your transition to university

Many of you have made one major transition successfully already;
moving from school or employment to university. This is encouraging
and is worth exploring in more detail to understand how you coped
with change and what you can learn from it. Consider the topics
below, reflecting on your transition to university and answering the
questions in the boxes provided.

Transition to work

Differing approaches

Now you have had the chance to reflect on a recent experience of
change, it is important to be aware that we don't all approach
transition in quite the same way because of our different personalities.
A recent study of Reading undergraduates (O'Regan 2009) suggested
four broad approaches to managing transition into work.
Use these case studies to consider which of them is most like your approach.
Rank them from 1 to 4 with 1 being the most like you and 4 least like you.
You must rank each case study differently.

Feedback

Introspection

You ranked yourself as a student who found the transition to university difficult and tend to feel anxiety and stress when thinking about your career.

You will probably have empathised with Alice's perspective.

Introspection approach: what next?

Choosing a career can be stressful and can add to anxiety levels that may be high already because of academic demands and personal difficulties you may have. Graduation may seem a long way off and it is tempting to procrastinate. An alternative approach is to talk through your concerns with a Counsellor or a Careers Adviser. An adviser will not expect you to have firm career ideas, but is there to support you and help you whatever stage you are at. Talking to someone now may help to alleviate your anxiety and help you to take the next step.

Hesitation

You ranked yourself as a student who is easy going and inclined to put off career choice because you enjoy university and are happy to leave career choice until later.

You will probably have empathised with James's perspective.

Hesitation approach: what next?

Enjoy being a student and your career will look after itself! In many ways this is an admirable approach, but you often need more than a 2.1 these days to secure a good job. Work experience is cited as essential for most recruiters. Remember that you do not need to devote a lot of time and energy to career planning to get some ideas. Go into the Careers Advisory Service or try Career Unlocker to make a start.

Instrumentalist

You ranked yourself as a student who pursues every opportunity to find out more about possible careers and are very focused on the future.

You will probably have empathised with Miles's perspective.

Instrumentalist approach: what next?

If you fall into this category, it is unlikely that you will need to do much more career planning at present, but remember that the Careers Advisory Service is always here to help. If you feel you are pushing ahead to quickly with your career choice and may be making decisions a little early or have doubts, then talk to a Careers Adviser, it may not be too late to change direction (however subtly) if you need to.

Learning

You ranked yourself as a student who prioritises learning and enjoying university life, You do think about the future, but resent having to think about your career.

You will probably have empathised with Billy's perspective.

Learning approach: what next?

It is good that you are enjoying your course and life at university and important that you get the most out of your experience. Delaying your career thinking is a valid option as long as you are aware that this may mean it takes longer for you to embark on the next stage of your life. A compromise might be calling into the Careers Advisory Service for a "Quick Query" just to test the water and see what you will need to do in the future when you feel you want to take action. Remember that Careers Advisers will focus on what you want to do and won't push you into taking action now if you don't really want to.


Your Plan

This is "Your Plan". It includes the issues that you have identified through
this part of Gro and any action points that you have decided to take to
move you forward plus any notes and thoughts you have written down
along the way. Identifying precisely what your next steps will be after
completing this exercise on transition will make it more likely that
you will make progress.

You have now finished this section. You can print, download (as pdf) or email yourself a copy of your plan. To move on to another section return to the Home page.

Introspection - Alice
1. Civil service administrator, journalism
Studies for degree in history and politics because she likes both subjects, although had thought about straight to work. Finds transition to higher education difficult "there's not enough support", "people are not that friendly". Uses counselling services at university.
2. I don't know what I want to do…
Works full time in an office during the summer vacation "quite a shock", "very tiring". Working on the computer gives her headaches.
3.
Returns to university, does not want to think about her career as is "so worried about my studies" and "passing my degree". Uses the study skills and careers service.
4. Journalism
Hopes to do a post-grad course in journalism. Is very disappointed with 2.2 degree, and her grades are too low to appeal. Cannot apply for post-grad journalism course. Moves back home - feels it is her "responsibility". Finds it hard to adjust to "not being at university".
5.
Uses money left by her Nan to do a 5 month journalism course at a private college. Struggles to get unpaid work experience. Finds it difficult to pass her shorthand exams. Finds work with a paper who then hire someone without any journalism qualifications and she feels a "bit cheated".
6. Work for paper, Administrator, Receptionist
Signs on for Jobseekers' Allowance and is unemployed for six weeks. Applies for administrative/reception work roles as well as work at newspaper offices. Finally receives her NCTJ certificate.
7. Temporary administrator
Gets temporary job with the NHS and is paid the national minimum wage. Continues to apply for other jobs. Starts writing reviews on a website on environmental issues - unpaid.
Hesitation - James
1. Engineer, journalist
Is studying history. Only "slackers" at his school didn't go to university. "It was presumed that I would" … "It was drilled into us." Settles into university life very easily. Had wanted to travel for a year before university but felt from the family's point of view, it was not a good time to go away.
2. I haven't really got anything in mind at the moment. No. I haven't decided anything yet.
Does not "really want to do the graduate scheme… I'd prefer to start from a lower level and go up through the ranks… start from scratch." Would like to do "practical things - anything hands on really wouldn't be too bad". But, "if there was a job leading from doing a history degree… I'd enjoy doing that. But I'm just not sure what sort of job titles there are."
3.
Works in local government office during summer vacation which was "a bit boring".
4. Civil service
Graduates with a 2.1 and moves back home. Goes travelling for three months and it "was the best thing I had ever done ever".
5.
Comes back to a recession. He looks at the graduate jobs. "I either didn't particularly want to do or wasn't driven hard enough to do… I went for some interviews and the one thing they said to me at the end of it was, I lacked the drive to get these jobs." He agrees and starts working in the local pub.
6. RAF
Does emergency training with the ambulance service to become "First Response" trained and begins to consider becoming a paramedic. Thinks it will "be ideal". It will "be intense working in London as a paramedic. So I spent ages writing a personal statement…"
7. Paramedic
Is accepted onto the paramedic training scheme and is "happy I want to do a job where I can make a difference and like help others. I think this time last year, I probably wouldn't have cared that much… And so I am happy that has changed. It really was travelling that made that difference".
Instrumentalist - Miles
1. Degree and accountancy training
Starts a finance-related degree at the university of his choice. "I absolutely made the right decision. I'm really happy about it. It's more broad, it gives me more options. I'm really proud that I took a bit of a risk to do something different."
2. Degree and law training
Applies for approximately 17 internships with investment banks in the City (takes about 100 hours). Secures one in compliance "I'm so pleased I've got it. It is such a relief…and it's such a privilege that I've got it. That's not lost on me", but a few weeks later "I have to ask myself whether I have chosen what is considered as a "second class" profession within investment banking because I really want to work in this particular area or because I knew that I had a more than reasonable chance of getting an internship in compliance."
3. ?
Is offered a place on a graduate training scheme in compliance but in his mid-term appraisal tells his supervisor that compliance is not for him. "I've decided that I should very aggressively network" [meetings with around 50 directors] "to find which department was right for me. I have since zeroed in on IBD". Continues applying for graduate roles. Rejects roles in equity sales.
4. Equity flow trader
Is offered and accepts his "dream job" as an equity flow trader in a more conservative, lower risk bank which will "suit" him better. "I was happy to sign, definitely, no second thoughts, no, not at all". As the time to start approaches he is "slightly more daunted now…the enormity of it all, because it will be difficult and challenging but that's what I want to do."
5. Markets crash
Survives a 25% cut in staff, "so that's a victory in itself. It's been a bit of a rocky ride. But within two weeks of being on the desk… I was trading in live markets and it was all going well. Like I understood the job. I understood the people. I knew where everything was. Yeah, it was everything I'd hoped for to be honest." Describes the "premature ageing" that comes with having this "extremely mature job".
Learning - Billy
1. ?
Has "never been so scared in his life" when he starts university. Enrols on a combined history and politics degree. Drops politics in first year as "it wasn't my cup of tea". Does not find the history course in his first year interesting. Dislikes living in Hall and considers dropping out. Goes home most weekends. Is the first member of his family to go to university.
2. Secondary school teacher
Enjoys his second year more, makes friends, chooses his modules well and enjoys the work. Is glad he came to university "because it has given me so much already". Finds being asked about his career "irritating". "I've learnt more to deal with things as they come rather than looking to the future". Knows the future is "important". Knows "it needs to be done", "I don't want to force myself into something."
3. I don't know, I don't know, I don't know
Learning is important to him. Looks forward to starting the research for his dissertation. "The thought of going all over the country looking in archives really excites me and I can't wait to start the work." As final exams approach his degree becomes more important.
4. ?
"Job wise I think it is an overrated view that you need to know exactly what you want to do. People change career paths. Life is a process and you can change over that process and find something you really want to do. There is no point in being rushed into a decision this early on."
5. Lecturer
Graduates with a First and wins a prize for his dissertation. "Academically it's definitely my dissertation because I just really had a good sense of achievement, and it kind of epitomised the whole three years, it shows all of the skills that you've got and how much you've progressed from like A-level, so I was really proud of that."
6. ?
Works in administration at the university during the summer vacation. Is accepted onto the masters course at the same university. Really wants "to put everything into it". Starts his masters course. Finds it disappointing at the beginning of the year. Continues to work at the same administrative role part time. Is encouraged to complete doctoral studies.
7. PhD candidate
"So I did the proposal and it was in for January and I did all the billions of forms and handed it all in. References and it just was a nightmare and then that is when I definitely wanted to do it." Is accepted onto doctoral programme and secures PhD funding to continue his research.

About Gro

It is widely acknowledged that to successfully embark on developing your employability or choose a career that there are some fundamental attributes that need to be in place. If you think some of the headings below represent potential areas of development for you then continue reading about the components of Gro and consider how you can make the most of them:

Although the reasons for developing Gro are about helping students become more employable and more successful at making career choices, using Gro has the potential to benefit many areas of your university experience.

Consider which of these areas of development you feel you would benefit from reflecting on. This may involve looking at just one or two sections. Once you have completed a section you will have the option of printing, downloading or emailing your results, feedback and plans. Gro does not save data for you, so unless you save your work and then return to the same computer, you will not be able to access it again. This means it is important to complete an exercise in one go and to ensure you either print, email or download the feedback so you can use it again.

Remember, if you are reflecting on your own development and establishing any development plans it is a good idea to save this in iLearn which is a secure central place which you can access throughout your degree.

If your reflection results in a small number of aims and tangible activities you can take forward then Gro will have done its job in helping you on your way.

Sources of inspiration

The whole concept of Gro was borne out of reading through various definitions and models of employability, including "The key to employability: developing a practical model of graduate employability" by D'Acre Poole and Sewell, 2004 and "The Heuristic Model of Employability" by Fugate et al 2004.

Credits

The Gro project was led and written by Tania Lyden with contributions from Bill Gothard and Sandhya Patel. IT programming was undertaken by Ruben Arakelyan and Chris Flanagan all from the Careers Advisory Service at the University of Reading. The project was funded by CCMS.

User guide

Gro consists of five sections. You can complete them in any order. Some sections are quicker to do than others. You don't have to do them all at the same time.

Soring results

When you have completed a section and clicked submit your results will be stored on the computer that you use to complete the test for up to a whole year (unless you delete your browsing history) and will be accessible to you on that computer provided you the same the web browser. Do be aware that if you stop part way through a section, however, your results won't be saved.

Changing results

Once you have clicked 'submit' you can't go back and alter your responses unless you delete all the results for a whole section. When you return to Gro after completing one or more sections you will see a gold bar near the top of the screen. The gold bar shows that you have results stored from a previous session. If you want to remove these results, ie to re-do a section, click on 'forget me'.

Using results

All your information and results are treated confidentially by Gro and are not shared with anyone else.

At the end of each section you will get an action plan. You can email this to yourself or download it. We'd recommend that you store a copy in your iLearn space for your Personal Development Planning.

Personal support

Some of the issues that Gro encourages you to reflect on may potentially create some personal concerns or anxiety for you. If you find you are in this position and would like extra support regarding any of the issues covered here then do seek help. You can:

Contact us

There are a number of reasons why you may wish to contact us regarding your use of Gro:

If so, then please contact us at example@example.com, stating that your enquiry is about Gro and providing a full description.