Re-initiation of the Memlo project
Selecting my undergraduate degree involved combining a very general area of interest with a limited number of possible careers paths that I believed could follow. At only 17 years old, my view of the world was narrow, limiting the options I thought were out there. My school provided little help in broadening students’ view of the options, particularly for those that didn’t wish to go on to university. Having since experienced different industries, both at home and abroad, and the willingness of people to help through offering insights from their own experiences, I better understand the diverse paths that careers can take.
Personally, I have transitioned from a Geologist working in the Pilbara of Western Australia to Investment Analyst at a London based Asset Manager. This move wouldn’t have been possible without support from a number of different professionals across a variety of industries.
I continue to benefit from insight gained through discussions with industry professionals, but the impact on my 17 year old self, particularly prior to deciding my focus for the next three years of my life, would have been even greater.
Speaking to a number of students that are still within the school system, it doesn’t appear that much has changed. I decided to try and address the issue through a project I called Memlo, which had the aim to get industry professionals into schools.
I started by selecting a school that I had close links with and spoke about my own experience, what I had learnt and encouraged students to reach out to professionals working in areas of interest.
The second event, which again demonstrated the willingness of experienced professionals to help, involved a senior woman from within my own organisation. Her experience spanned both corporates, NGOs and ultra-endurance sporting contests, which immediately exposed students to a number of possibilities that they would previously never have considered. After the presentation, the speaker was quickly surrounded by a group of students wanting to know more.
Despite the positive impact, the problem with the approach of taking professionals into schools is that the audience is immediately limited. I believe a podcast would be far more powerful. Therefore, this blog will focus on the re-initiation of this project, but by taking a different approach, I hope to improve the breadth of impact.
The first podcast will introduce a portfolio manager from within my own organisation and will cover a 15 minute segment focused on their own career and three article or book recommendations that they found useful in guiding their own experience.
