The 28th November was all about #INLEEDSDAY2017, a city-wide event organised by Ahead Partnership. Designed to provide undergraduates from universities across Leeds with the opportunity to visit various workplaces and hear about the many roles on offer in the city, the team here at She Does Digital were keen to get involved.
At She Does Digital, we're passionate about retaining graduates in our home city of Leeds. It goes without saying that we were delighted when Ahead Partnership got in touch about the event, and when Epiphany decided to take part with us we were even more thrilled - using their office space to host our own segment during the day.
On the 28th, visiting students heard from a whole host of She Does Digital members, as well as Rianna and Tom - two of Epiphany's fantastic employees currently enrolled on the graduate scheme. The pair have both been learning about the full spectrum of disciplines in digital advertising, from PPC (pay per click), web development, design, SEO (search engine optimisation) and campaign management to name a few. Nobody could be in a better position to chat about life after university, and why Leeds is such a fantastic city for young professionals!
Speaking to undergrads, Rianna and Tom explained how their time at Epiphany has helped them to love the industry, and how they're both eager to continue a career in digital.
After the event, Rianna told the She Does Digital team exactly why she got involved with #INLEEDSDAY2017, and what she loved most about speaking:
'I wanted to make sure that young people were aware that there's plenty of opportunities right here in Leeds, and staying in the city was the best decision I've made to date. I enjoyed being a figure to relate to as I was in the same position this time last year, and every little helps when you're in the final year boat!'
Tom was also keen to reassure the students that working life isn’t so scary:
‘I thought it was important for students to hear that progressing into working-life isn't as scary as they may believe from someone who had recently experienced all the stress, setbacks and eventual success that they are currently facing in applying for graduate schemes. I also felt that it was vital, as a male myself, to promote She Does Digital's message and breakdown the 'male-exclusive' stigma revolving around the digital industry.
I enjoyed talking one-and-one with some students, listening to their familiar application experiences and reassuring them that graduate schemes provide the perfect opportunity to figure out where they would like to take their careers!’
I thought it was important for students to hear that progressing into working-life isn't as scary as they may believe
Students also heard from She Does Digital's Charly Bowen and Arianne Donoghue, who shared their experiences about starting out in the digital industry.
Charly stepped forward as she believed it was important 'to emphasise to current students that a background in tech isn't always necessary to start a career in digital', with her English and Social Policy degree landing her a position at Epiphany as a PR and Earned Media Account Executive. 'I enjoyed discussing my job with students, because I realised just how many different and interesting elements there are to it!'
Arianne, meanwhile, told us:
'I got involved with #INLEEDSDAY2017 because I don't think it's as easy as it should be for people to choose a career in digital. It's so fast-moving, many of us wound up in our careers by accident. I believe it's important to do all we can to talk about the range of roles available and the skills you need to get the most out of working in our industry.
It was great to meet the students and hear them ask their questions - some of them are already hard at work on their own ventures to help change the world. It’s really inspiring and I hope to see some of them in digital jobs in the near future!'
The entire She Does Digital team had a fantastic day, and we loved chatting to students looking to begin their own career in digital. We hope everyone who visited SDD and Epiphany left feeling inspired and excited about the future!
