Careers Events 2024 – Alumni Careers Event, internships and networking.

It has been an active year for Earth Sciences Department careers events. In March we were joined by six of our alumni for our annual Alumni Careers Event.

This event brings together alumni and current students, with alumni sharing their careers journeys and advice through a series of short talks and Q & A sessions, followed by a networking event. We were very fortunate to be joined by

• Maria Lake, Senior Geoscientist at ERCE;
• Max Richards, International Business Manager, OPC;
• Frances Cooper, Associate Professor, UCL;
• Matthew Piggott, Head of Research Non-ferrous Metals, Skarn Associates;
• Blake O'Sullivan, Hydrogeologist,
• Wardell Armstrong;
• Lisa Fuellenbach, Geochemical Consultant, SRK.

Their talks ranged from careers in environmental consultancy to research, carbon capture and storage, and finance; with lots of useful hints and tips for our current students. This was followed by a networking session over tea and cake, supported by the Women in Earth Sciences group, where students could ask questions and chat to our alumni.

The event was a great success with our students gaining insights into the world of work, and some even procuring internships through the networking session.

Earth Sciences students and alumni networking as part of the Alumni Careers Event.

In October we had an internship event to celebrate the 23 of our students who completed internships over the summer, and to provide help for those applying this year. Sharon King from UCL Careers gave a workshop on how to choose, find and apply to internship opportunities. This was followed by short talks from 5 of our students who had done internships over the summer in companies ranging from energy firms to engineering to finance to scientific research. The students outlined how they got their internships, what it was like, and advice for students applying this year.

At the end of November Dr Katie McFall ran a Professional Networking Workshop for students who will be attending careers fairs, industry trade shows and academic conferences. This included students making and practicing elevator pitches, practicing active listening, and ‘an introvert’s guide to networking’. The event was very successful, and 10 of our students went on to practice their new skills while attending Resourcing Tomorrow, one of the world’s largest mineral resources and finance trade shows, in London the week after.

Students practicing networking introductions during the Professional Networking Workshop.

Events planned for the New Year include an Interview Success workshop, an event on choosing your careers path, and of course our next Alumni Careers Event in March 2025 – any alumni interested in getting involved with this event or with departmental careers events more generally please contact Dr Katie McFall (k.mcfall@ucl.ac.uk).