April 30, 2021, by Business School Postgraduate Careers
An International Student’s Journey: From Uncertainty To Confidence About My Future
By Elizabeth Quishpi, MSc International Business
A little bit about me
I am Elizabeth Quishpi, an MSc International Business student, and the journey that I have gone through to be in Nottingham has not been short or easy.
I was born in Ecuador, South America, and my parents decided to move to Spain when I was four years old. I grew up in Spain and did an undergraduate degree in English studies at the University of Murcia with an Erasmus exchange year in the UK, which was life changing. I decided to return to the UK to study business at Nottingham University Business School for its academic prestige, the values it represents and the student support, and so far, it has been the best decision I could have ever made.
But how is the journey of an international student with little idea about her future and no contacts? To be honest, tough! However, only a few months after starting, I am enjoying my MSc; I am sure about the career path I want to follow; I am growing my LinkedIn account with new connections every day; and I am doing a part-time internship in the industry I am passionate about – marketing. Using the support from the NUBS Postgraduate Careers Team has played a crucial role for all of this to happen.
Networking with NUBS Graduates
Before starting my MSc, I attended a pre-arrival webinar with the NUBS Postgraduate Careers Team where they explained how they could support us, and several recent graduates shared their career journeys with us.
I was particularly inspired by one graduate for her passion, energy and helpful attitude while speaking to us. I contacted her on LinkedIn and after that, we arranged a zoom meeting. My biggest concerns were about having online classes, the workload, and the difficulty of studying an MSc in a different language. Even though she studied MSc Business and Management, her course and mine share a lot of modules and she could answer all my questions. It was a very inspiring and enjoyable, thank you so much Andrea Dimitrova!
Careers Consultation
Following this webinar which I enjoyed so much, I decided to book a one-to-one careers consultation to talk about my future as I was not sure about what to do after finishing my MSc. I talked to a Postgraduate Careers Consultant about what I was passionate about, my career aspirations and my concern about my lack of experience in the marketing industry. After this conversation, she sent me further information about marketing career paths, websites where I could apply for internships, and other ways to build up experience in the industry.
Digital Marketing Academy
One of the opportunities which stood out to me was the Digital Marketing Academy, an opportunity run by the university which helped me to gain practical experience in the marketing industry. I achieved official certifications from Google, took part in insight days with digital marketing agencies which allowed me to build my network in the industry, and gained invaluable experience by carrying out a social media project for a Nottingham-based company.
Growing LinkedIn connections
The weekly Accelerated Career Leader Programme sessions delivered by the NUBS Postgraduate Careers Team have provided me with all the information, training and tips to build a successful CV, to network using LinkedIn and to apply for jobs. Following their advice on how to deal with interviews and thanks to the experience from the Digital Marketing Academy, I was able to secure a marketing internship with an events company through LinkedIn. I am so excited about all the projects that I will be working on, and I couldn’t feel more grateful to Sally and Teresa from the NUBS Postgraduate Careers Team for the impact that their support has had on my life.
The moral of my story is, PLEASE never underestimate your university’s careers support, graduates, and the power of LinkedIn! In a very short time, I have gone from feeling unsure about my future to being confident about my career aspirations and my future plans!
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