What Can You Do After University? My Journey Into Eton Digital
Being a student is hard. Trust me I know.
Having recently graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in English Language and Linguistics, applications for graduate jobs, writing your CV and constant application rejections are not unfamiliar to me.
After I finished my final assignments at university and waited to receive my results, I was hit with this new feeling of stress and fear, constantly thinking ‘what do I do next?’.
Recent graduate schemes, internships and jobs are looking for hard working, dedicated employees rather than those with years of experience in order to give graduates a chance. However, a number of hiring managers are still asking for around 1–2 years of experience for a given job role, even if the application is for a graduate role.
I did not have the 2 years of experience that hiring managers were looking for. This brought me back to the question: what do I do next?
Turning youth into a desirable workforce: What do we do next?
Why are we under pressure? Students are expected to complete all of their module assignments, conduct research for their dissertation, apply for positions starting in the next academic year and attend university lectures as well as cook, clean, socialise, shop for groceries and get a good 8 hours sleep.
This is a whole new level of busy lifestyle.
The 1–2 years experience requested by hiring managers implies that students should have a part-time job alongside all of these responsibilities, or they should be giving up the full duration of their summer vacation every year in order to gain work experience.
Just as I was about to give up with applications, getting hit with rejection after rejection (well, at least they responded), I was lucky enough to get an internship.
My internship journey at Eton Digital
Eton Digital is a web design and development agency that has been helping startups and businesses since 2005. With a number of different teams working to transform ideas into projects from scratch, their portfolio includes a number of different industries, from e-learning and e-commerce to mobile apps and custom websites.
I became part of the Eton Digital marketing team. As a language student, I started as a content writer creating blog posts for two different projects about topics that are central to their business idea. I also slowly began to explore social media management and community management. Being part of their team opened up many new perspectives for me in the world of marketing.
Why am I sharing my personal experience as an intern?
One project that I began to work on at EtonDigital was an online learning platform, InfoDepot. The platform is entering the e-learning market to provide anyone with an opportunity to teach and learn online. Teachers can upload pre-recorded video lessons for students to purchase and watch indefinitely. They can also offer live tutoring, which connects a teacher and a student in real time through the platform to conduct a lesson over the phone.
The platform allows teachers to continue sharing their knowledge and doing what they love, whilst encouraging students to practise lifelong learning. InfoDepot can help graduates and students who were in the same position that I was.
Whether you have a university degree or you have simply become great in doing what you love, you can share your knowledge and skills. You, as a university student, can be a teacher on InfoDepot.
InfoDepot teachers don’t just have to be the experts within a field. InfoDepot allows ANYONE to be a teacher.
Imagine this on your CV: During my time at university, I recorded, edited and uploaded video lessons to an online learning platform in order to share my knowledge on the subject and to help keen learners to explore their interests. This demonstrates my skills in organisation, time management and communication, as I had to create my own schedule and structure my time to ensure that all my necessary tasks were completed.
Why not share your expertise?
Online teaching can allow students to gain and develop a variety of skills, such as confidence, communication skills, self-motivation, ambition and technological abilities. This allows you to show that even during your studies you took the time to share your knowledge, develop your skills and earn some money to support yourself. You do not need certification or a qualification to conduct lessons. You, as a student have all that you need to help learners try something new.
By becoming an online tutor, you could proudly add this to your applications. You can ease those worrying thoughts about jobs, finances and the big scary future.
If students can find some time within their busy schedule, they could upload a 15–30 minute video to this online learning platform, select their own chargeable price and begin earning some money. Depending on the amount of time they have available, regular teaching can yield lucrative pay.
This could help with the eternal student dilemma — should I go out and enjoy student life? or should I stay at home and be financially responsible?
InfoDepot can help students because they believe this could benefit a number of people in different ways, whether it is to get a job and develop their CV or just to get a little extra money on the side.
Especially towards the end of their degree, students have a large amount of teachable skills and knowledge. Those who are on art, graphic design, film and photography courses also have several specialised skills that they can easily share.
I wish I had come across this opportunity sooner.
You can start teaching your skills, earn money and add to your CV today. Take charge of your future and join InfoDepot today.
