How to kick-start your career without going to University

Much like hundreds of thousands of students today, this time six years ago I was out celebrating my A-level results. But unlike the record number of students who have opted to go to University this year, I went against the grain and decided not to go to University, in spite of the grades I’d obtained.

Everyone I knew was going to university, but growing up in a family where both my parents had run their own business and with older brothers who had left education at 16 and 18, I was adamant that I would learn more from working than I ever could from three years doing a degree I’d ultimately picked at random.

I struggled to find a job straight out of school and spent the first 9 months working for my Dad. But since then my career has taken off and I’ve worked at the Guardian, FutureLearn and now Comic Relief; in a whole range of departments including marketing, sales, creative and technology.

Looking back now I don’t regret my decision at all, but there are some things I wish I’d learnt sooner. Here are just a few pieces of advice on how to kick-start your career without going to university.

Focus on the type of company you want to work for, not the role you want to do

When I left school I had no idea about the plethora of jobs that I could do and what they might entail. I only had knowledge of the occupations that my family did and well-known professions such as doctors or lawyers, none of which I could ever be. Without knowing what potential roles were out there I spent months applying for random administration jobs with no luck. When I applied for a role at the Guardian it was because it was a paper I read and an organisation I believed in.

In spite of my limited experience they could see my passion for the company and I managed to get my foot in the door. From then on it opened up so many opportunities and enabled me to explore working in all sorts of departments. Since then my ambitions have always been based around the type of companies I want to work for rather than the role I want to do. Loving the company you work for makes your job more enjoyable and opens up career options that you might never of even thought of.

Ignore the minimum requirements and apply anyway

Most entry-level job adverts receive hundreds of applications. In order to help HR teams to narrow this down they often include minimum requirements on job descriptions such as “University degree mandatory” or “Must have some experience working in marketing”.

Don’t let this put you off applying. If you can prove that you can learn on the job, that you’re hard-working and that you’ll fit in with the team then most employers will value this over the mandatories. By applying for as many jobs as possible you increase your chances of securing work. You’ll also have more opportunities to perfect your application and potentially improve your interview skills.

Put yourself out there

I haven’t got where I am today by sitting back and waiting for an employer to find me. In addition to applying through traditional routes I also tracked down the email addresses of people that interested me and offered to buy them a coffee so that I could learn more about the company they worked for and what they did.

I continue to do this within my career now and it’s actually how I got my current role. When I worked at the Guardian I asked to go for coffee with a woman who worked for Bauer Media and two years later she approached me to work with her at Comic Relief. Even if you don’t get a job from it, you’ll gain some great advice and knowledge which you wouldn't have had otherwise.

Read, read and read some more

Just because you’re not going to university doesn't mean that you can get away with not reading. In fact I’d argue that if you want to progress within your career you’ll need to do just as much independent study as your peers at university. You can learn so much by:

• Asking people who work in an industry your interested in to recommend books, podcasts and YouTube videos that might be useful for your career.
• Signing up for free online courses on a platform like FutureLearn — it shows employers that you have the capabilities to learn new things even though it’s not through the traditional route.
• Keeping up with the daily news — its an important tool for general chitchat with potential employers.

Learn when to listen to advice and when to ignore it

I’ve been incredibly lucky to have met some amazing mentors over the years. There have been people who have truly wanted to see me progress and have supported me every step of the way. When you find these people make the most of them, ask them as many questions as possible and listen intently to their advice even if you’ve already made up your mind about something.

But I have also met a handful of people who have made me doubt myself. A director I first worked with at the Guardian once told me to quit work and go back to university because I would never be as eloquent or get as a far in my career as those who had a degree. I spent months thinking I was incapable until one day my outlook just switched and I decided that I needed to prove him wrong. Sometimes you’ve got to ignore others and just do things in your own way.

Have fun and party just as much as students

Having left school at 18 and started working immediately one of the things I forgot is that I was still young and needed to let loose as much as anyone else my age. I spent years being hard on myself and working ridiculous hours to prove myself but in the end it wasn’t worth it. Go out partying with friends and colleagues as much as possible — there is no need to miss out on all the fun just because you’re not at university.