We know it’s hard to find time to think about the future when you’re so busy dealing with weekly readings, imminent essay deadlines and the like, so we’ve come up with five “5 Minute Fixes” that you can easily fit into your day to help you start thinking about life after uni.
5 Minute Fixes: Make a list
Who doesn’t love a good list? Lists are a fast way of solving problems – including careers.
Ask yourself what skills you have gained from your degree and any work experience you have undertaken. Which have you enjoyed using and developing? Are there skills you would like to develop further?
Now think about what you want and don’t want from a job. It doesn’t have to be a specific career or job title – just jot down ideas around what sort of environment you would like to work in (office, lab, outdoors…) and where in the world you want to work (in Manchester, at home, overseas…). Do you want to help others, or invent new products or services, or maybe be in charge of organising people?
This won’t suddenly reveal your dream job, but you can use it when looking at job descriptions to see if a role would suit your skills and your interests, and as you learn more about different careers and jobs, you can keep adding your “do wants” and “don’t wants” to your list and start to build up a real picture of what you want from a career.
University of Manchester Careers Blog 
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