Final year students who haven't already identified a job for next year will now be scouring job ads for ideas about what to do next. For the well-organised students who have just completed their penultimate year, the summer months will be spent putting the building blocks in place for the first graduate job. If you were especially career orientated you may even have done this in your first year. But apart from the careers advice service in your own higher education institution, which I hope everyone will make full use of, where else can you get ideas and advice?
I have been reviewing the student services offered by learned societies and professional bodies in the UK. There is quite a range on offer but not all sectors are covered well. Quality is variable and much of it is hard to find on the web, especially if you don't know the name of the institution or professional body in your field. There is no single portal to these sites to help science students and job hunters and at the Science Council we are aiming to put that right very soon. But in the mean time, here are some ideas that can get you started.
Many learned societies and professional bodies offer free or reduced rate membership to students and recent graduates but some make no special provision. Some have a simple log on and sign in service but for others you have to go through a formal joining procedure. And there are some web sites where you don't have to be a student member to access some good starter information about job opportunities and ideas but there is often a warning that individual enquiries cannot be answered, member or not.
The Institute of Physics has Nexus as its student membership offering and included in the services are careers events that give you an opportunity to network with other physics students and talk to employers. The feedback says that students get a feel for the different types of physics and physics jobs available with each employer and find the sessions helpful. Membership is free for those on accredited courses and £15 for others. It's an e-based network but is well supported by the Institute with 10,000 members, with an active student community.
For maths students both the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications and the Royal Statistical Society have student careers sections on their web sites. The Maths Careers web site caters mainly for 11 to 19-year-olds but it says that: "Undergraduates and mathematicians are also catered for with material showing the beauty and elegance of maths, with a bit of added humour." For IMA, student members must be on a qualifying course. The RSS has student membership for £11 with free membership for final year students on accredited courses. There are some good links on their web site but the advice is still fairly general.
The Royal Society of Chemistry advice for students was very difficult to find — you have to be clear that it is higher education student careers – but much of the general careers information and advice is only available to members. Undergraduates can join for £16, so if chemistry is your thing this has to be good value. Plus you get access to conferences and forums, Chemistry World (with job adverts) and other events including promotions for industry placements.
One of the best specialist careers web sections is on the Geological Society site which includes a first destinations survey and some helpful guidance on how to go about getting some work experience. Geared to geoscience students access is not restricted to those on accredited courses. Students are welcomed at the Society's events where they can network and hear from practicing geoscientists of all kinds and it also runs a Careers Day for geoscience undergraduates and postgraduates.
For those interested in working in the environmental or sustainability sectors CIWEM produces an introductory careers booklet and has an environmental careers web site. Reflecting the very wide range of degrees that feed into jobs in the environment student membership (£23) is available to anyone in full-time education and gives access to events, groups and networks.
The Chemical Engineers welcome students as affiliate members (£20 per annum) and has developed a special package but it is difficult to get a taster of this before you pay up. However, geared towards keeping chemical engineering students on track and in the business, the institution works hard to develop awareness of opportunities and with its international perspectives would be particularly useful to anyone thinking they may like to work overseas.
With the popularity of biology and bioscience degrees and the very wide range of jobs they can lead to it's good that the Society of Biology offers students membership at £23 per annum. The careers information on the web site is very general but in addition to discounted publications and conferences (perhaps geared more towards those wanted an academic career) student members can access the Life Sciences Careers Conference which is a joint event with a number of other bioscience organisations.
The Royal Geographical Society has some good and slightly different information on its careers pages — all of which seem to be available without a membership fee. Its Geography Ambassadors scheme would be another way to find out what people do with a geography degree and if you volunteer, to network with early career geographers.
These are just a snap shot of the careers information and links on the web. I haven't covered all the careers pages from science organisations by any means but if you need to find out whether there is an institution in your field of interest check out the members of the Science Council or the Engineering Council and take it from there.
