Is this the end or a new beginning?

Image sourced from Wikimedia
Author: Diego

Now that the end of term has gone, with exams finished and coursework handed in, you’ve finally reached the finish line!  And with the Olympics happening, there will be plenty of time to enjoy watching them.

 

But it's not quite ‘all over’ yet. It will really help you if you view the next few weeks as a new beginning too. The reasons why are as follows. Firstly, it would be good to spend time reflecting on what you have found interesting, challenging or dull this year and why. The reason? By reflecting on the knowledge gained this year you can decide if or how you could use it in a potential career. Does the thought of using what you’ve learnt about equine nutrition, landscape design or commercial horticulture excite you?  What does this tell you about your career aspirations?  Do you need to talk this through with your tutor or Careers Adviser? 

Secondly, it is not just about the knowledge that you have learnt.  It’s useful to reflect how your skills have developed this year.  This is equally as important as reflecting on your knowledge.  Employers and universities want to see that you can identify and apply the skills you’ve gained to a new situation, e.g. a job or a postgraduate course.  Not only is it important to show others you can do this, but it is crucial for you too.  Why?  Because you need to be able to compare what you have to offer to what an employer or university are asking for.  If you can’t demonstrate that you are a good match, an employer or course scheme manager won’t do this for you.  So part of this ‘looking back’ is about applying this to developing your career/study plans for the future.





Planning ahead will help you graduate!

Are you wondering about whether to use the knowledge and skills you’re gaining or if there’s a ‘better something’ out there?  Within each degree area there will be a variety of related and unrelated careers or further study you could go into.  About 80% of graduate jobs don’t require a specific degree subject, so you could apply for any number of interesting graduate schemes or jobs.  Roughly 10% of graduates will get onto a graduate scheme, often these schemes do not want a specific subject.  There are a huge number of SME (small and medium enterprises) who are very keen to take on students who have developed graduate level skills, in a variety of career ideas.  Just being a graduate itself will give you plenty of skills and experience which will be appreciated by employers if you can present them well enough.



Image sourced from Wikimedia
Author: Petey21

So, the end of this academic year is here, and the beginning of the future is just around the corner!  Is this true for everyone?  If you are finishing your degree course, the answer will be an obvious yes.  But if you are in your first or second year, it is also worth viewing this summer as a new beginning too.  Doing an audit will help you identify what opportunities might be worth targeting to develop your skills or test out your newly acquired knowledge over the next academic year.

 

Your career is going to last a very long time, and it can take time to find the ‘perfect’ career or vacancy - this won’t always happen straight after university.  Did you know you can use the College careers service for up to 3 years after finishing your course?  Careers support is often about helping students audit themselves, to develop their own career management skills.  And you can use the service forever if you are an employer looking to fill a vacancy in the future!  So, whatever year you are in, now is a good time to celebrate the end and start to plan for the beginning.

Written by Mark Yates, Careers Coordinator

Daffodils in the Writtle College gardens

Easter around the world



The Easter weekend is nearly here! Around the world different cultures, countries and communities celebrate Easter in different ways. Although a lot of our students go home for the Easter break, some of our international and UK students stay on campus. In the UK Easter is seen as the end of winter and the end of Lent, traditionally a time of fasting in the Christian calendar. The Friday before Easter Sunday and the Monday after are bank holidays in the UK and schools close for two weeks.



Easter Eggs


Easter eggs are a very old tradition going back before Christianity. Eggs are a symbol of spring and new life and exchanging and eating Easter eggs is a popular custom in many countries. In the UK before they were replaced by chocolate Easter eggs real eggs were used. The eggs were hard-boiled and dyed in various colours and patterns. The traditionally bright colours represented spring and light.



Hot Cross Buns



Hot cross buns were first baked in England to be served on Good Friday. These small, lightly sweet yeast buns contain raisins or currants and sometimes chopped candied fruit. Before baking, a cross is slashed in the top of the bun. After baking, a confectioners' sugar icing is used to fill the cross. Now hot cross buns are available across the Easter period.



Egg rolling


Egg rolling involves participants launching their specially prepared hard-boiled eggs down a grassy hill. The tradition goes back hundreds of years and survives in towns all over the UK. In some areas it is known as "pace-egging". Customs differ from place to place. The winner's egg may be the one that rolls the farthest or is rolled between two pegs. According to an old Lancashire legend, the broken eggshells should be carefully crushed or they will be stolen and used as boats by witches.



Easter celebrations around the world:


Germany: Germans like to decorate trees with hollowed-out, painted eggs for Easter.



Spain: There are hundreds of processions involving participants dressed in white robes during Holy Week – Semana Santa in Spanish. Religious statues are carried by religious fraternities. Seville puts on one of the most spectacular processions of masked penitents and lavish floats in the world.



Greece: Easter is the most important religious holiday in the Greek Orthodox calendar. Shops line their windows with brightly-coloured wrappings from Easter candles and chocolate eggs. Greek families sit down to a meal of whole roasted lamb or kid goat on Easter Sunday.



Italy: In Rome Holy Week events include a ceremony in which the Pope washes the feet of 12 men at a service commemorating Christ's gesture to his apostles. On Good Friday the Pope takes part in the traditional night-time Stations of the Cross procession at the Colosseum, which symbolises Christ's journey to his crucifixion. Tens of thousands of people will gather in St Peter's Square on Easter Sunday when the Pope will conduct Mass. He also delivers his traditional message of hope and peace, known as the "Urbi et Orbi".



Czech Republic: Easter Monday is marked by an unusual ritual in which boys whip girls around the legs with braided whips. The whipping is supposed to bestow health and youth for the rest of the year and is also seen as a measure of how popular a girl is – the more whips the better.



Colombia: Instead of tucking into chocolate eggs, Colombians like to eat iguana, turtle and the world's largest rodent for their traditional Easter dinner. Colombians travel for hours on intercity buses to spend the holiday with family and prepare special meals, bringing exotic animals from far-flung provinces to their relatives in big cities. Among the unusual seasonal treats are turtle egg omelettes, iguana soup, cayman stew, fried yucca and capybara, the world's biggest rodent.



This is a roundup of just some of the Easter traditions around the world. Wherever you are this spring break have a Happy Easter!



Sources: The Telegraph, The Huffington Post, LEO Network