In this activity, the students will increase their knowledge of different career paths for graduates from their degree programme. They must therefore contact and interview a member of staff in their department and a number of alumni from their degree programme. This will help them gain an insight into their academic competences and in career path options both within the university and in business and industry.
The purpose of this initiative is to give the students an insight into their own academic competences and an understanding of the career paths to which their programme might lead. This provides them with concrete role models and contributes to their sense of direction in their studies. Through this activity the students gain an insight into career path options within and outside of a university context, and they discover the relevance of their degree programme to their future career. At the same time, they meet relevant people who can act as professional role models, and they get an idea of the structure of the department, which may contribute to their overall insight into their own degree programme.
Divide the students into groups and assign to each group a permanent member of staff from the department and alumni in jobs.
Ask the students to identify who their assigned individuals are and what their jobs are. You may provide the students with a list of the questions they must answer. Such questions may be:
Where did the person study, and where do they work today?
What does the person do in their job, and which path did the person take to get this job?
How does the person use their academic skills in their present job?
The students must then prepare presentations, including slides, about their assigned individuals, which must be submitted and shared with the entire class.
Part 3: Presentations in class
