University of Manchester Careers Blog

As part of our Manchester Life series, we’re asking recent graduates who have decided to stay and work in Manchester what it’s like to be in the city as a working professional, compared to their time spent as a student here.

We caught up with Lynnie Ler, who finished her degree in Mechanical Engineering with Management in 2019, and decided to contribute to the sustainability and accessibility of the city by working here as a Transport Planner for Curtins.

On deciding to stay in Manchester after graduation:

I decided to stay and live in Manchester after university because I’ve grown to love the city. I lived here for four years as a student and find Manchester has a nice balance between the hustle and bustle and the quiet. It’s also much more affordable than other big cities in the UK and really easy to get around. Everything is just a short cycle away and you can get some peace and quiet and green. It is the place to be!

On the benefits of working in Manchester as a recent graduate:

The advantage of working in Manchester compared to studying here would definitely be that you have more money to experience life, things like concerts, food, going around places. Manchester is well connected and it’s very easy to organise weekends away with your friends, for example in the Peaks and the Lake District.

It also has a big community of working professionals; I’ve even met people through work who are in bands and I’ve gone to their gigs. Also, I got really lucky! My work colleagues are really good friends of mine, we go out for socials and Manchester is quite a nice place for that.

Advice for anyone considering staying in Manchester after uni:

My advice for any current final years or graduates who are considering staying in Manchester would definitely be to save up for it as you would anywhere else. Do a bit of research. Find out where you want to live, be it in town or some of the quieter areas. You can use a lot of apps and social media nowadays to meet people in Manchester. And definitely stay in touch with your friends from uni; because now that you’re all working, you’ll have much less time to meet each other but you can always make the effort to meet each other half way.

For more information check out our guide on finding work in Manchester, and Manchester Graduate Talent. Remember, you can continue to use CareersLink (and all our services) for up to two years after finishing your studies. Find out how to search for Manchester vacancies on CareersLink via our short tutorial.