Sam Medhurst

Pronouns: He/Him

Course studied: Physical Geography BSc (Hons)

Year of graduation: 2020

Current job title: Parking Consultant

Current employer: Project Centre Limited

Industry sector: Engineering and Design

I chose to study this course at the University of Northampton because of the range of opportunities it presented to me during and after my studies. After reading the course description, I knew I could study a variety of modules to find the area of geography that best suited me. I was unsure of precisely what I wanted to do, so the opportunity to study so many varied topics meant that I wouldn’t be limited when starting my career. The skills that I would develop covering these topics would prove to be essential to getting the job I wanted – without these, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Studying a wide range of geographic topics allowed me to discover the subject areas which I found the most interesting and that I wanted to pursue further. The number of field trips and opportunities made the course enjoyable and interesting, and the chance to explore the environment I was learning about helped to cement the processes and theories I was taught, giving me a unique insight into the topics I was studying. To see the features created and the results of the processes studied in person can only be experienced within geography, so the opportunity to be able to do this was something I really enjoyed.

Whilst at University I was part of the Men’s Football Team and was also the society Secretary. This enabled me to develop additional skills and experience that I wouldn’t have been able to develop from my course alone, which boosted my career prospects. During interviews I was able to discuss the various forms of charity work we’d done and how I helped to organise these events. These additional activities showed initiative and self-motivation, which I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to demonstrate so well on my CV.

Without my studies at the University of Northampton I wouldn’t be doing the job I do now. My degree gave me the core skills I need for my day-to-day work, as well as providing opportunities to develop my character and build a wide range of skills, such as teamwork, communication, and written skills.

I became a graduate just as the pandemic was coming to an end in 2021, which made the start of my career particularly challenging as people were still working from home. There was no opportunity to meet my team and wider colleagues in person, so during the first couple of months it was harder to develop my career as quickly as I wanted to. By the end of 2021 this was no longer the case and since then progressing in my career and learning new skills has been easy. My company provides great opportunities for everyone to better themselves with training for their career development – I’ve been able to develop my skills extensively and plan to work towards project management and leading a team effectively.

I use the GIS, Excel and report writing skills I gained at university every day. The GIS and Excel knowledge gave me an advantage at the start of my career as I already had a good understanding of how to use the programmes and could quickly pick up any additional training provided. This extra knowledge allowed me to become a ‘go-to guy’ for these programmes within my team and the company. Learning how to write concisely and explain the processes used in projects were skills I picked up throughout my course and especially during my dissertation. Every project I work on requires some level of report writing, and I write multiple reports or technical notes, so these skills, even if they were the basics, were extremely important to develop and I’m glad I had the opportunity to do so at university.

If I could give a piece of advice to undergraduates interested in this career path it would be to take up any opportunities to do internships or work experience and explore and research any roles you would like to go into. Without my experience at the University of Northampton, I wouldn’t be where I am today.