Rosalyn Benjamin
Research AssociateWhich course did you study and when did you graduate?
MA Enterprise and Management for the Creative Arts.
Graduated January 2008
What have you been up to since leaving the University?
Since leaving University I have been working as a Research Associate for Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy. The company carries out creative economy and cultural regeneration research, strategy, commentary and consultancy. I've been assigned a multi-disciplinary role involving research assistance, project and office management/support and marketing support.
I was very fortunate to come across this job while I was still writing my Final Major Project, which limited my stress at the time because I didn't have to worry about looking for a job when I finish University. Of course, when I finally handed in my Final Major Project I suddenly realised that I had a lot of preparing to do to meet expectations!
This is my first job since leaving University 7 months ago. The first few months were very exciting, full of new experiences, people and ideas but also quite difficult. I had a lot of adjusting and learning to do.
What has the transition from your studies into your current life been like? What expectations, if any, did you have?
Carrying out an internship half way through my course definitely made the transition into my current life much smoother. I was immersed into the 'real world' while still having the safety net of being a student to fall back on. The biggest change I've had to deal with is moving from a University, academic environment where everything seems possible, to the real world with limitations and restrictions.
I didn’t have time to build up my expectations. I found my job at the busiest time of my course, when studying, reading and writing took up 100% of my time and thoughts! After handing in my project I had one week to recover (emotionally and physically) and began working straight away.
Did you feel prepared when you graduated? If not, was there anything else you wish you'd done, any opportunities you wish you'd seized?
I felt reasonably prepared but in hind-sight, it was part luck. Although I didn't seize all opportunities that came my way, I am lucky that the ones I did seize turned out to be the right ones!
However, I have been, and am still going through a huge learning curve. I am very lucky that everyone I work with is very understanding and patient, and I receive a lot of (mostly informal!) training. My Final Major Project research has also provided a good knowledge base for the work I do.
If there was something I would have tried harder for it would have been trying harder for opportunities such as the London Business School elective.
If there's one thing you would tell a current student to do right now that would help them when they leave the University, what would it be?
If I only had to give one piece of advice it would be: take every opportunity that comes your way! Although this is not an original piece of advice, I have come to realise that there's a good reason that it has become a cliché – it's so true!
I found my job through a chain of events which I couldn't have seen at the time. I attended a half day 'Creative Industries Workshop' at LCC where a representative from the British Council's Creative Economy Unit talked about one of their first Creative Industries mapping initiatives in Bogota, Columbia. This led me to research the Creative Economy programme for my Final Major Project, and I eventually carried out an internship there. This has been one of the most valuable additions to my CV.
But I'd like to add a few more bits of advice:
- Networking: The University of the Arts has one of the best Creative Industries networks in the UK. Mingle with other students, your tutors, your project supervisors, attend events, meet new people - and keep in touch. Exchange ideas and knowledge, make new contacts and most importantly make new friends.
- Be professional: It is too easy to get carried away and think like a student (I certainly did a lot of the time) but being a student is an excellent time to practice being professional. It will make the transition from student life to working life that much easier.
- Work experience: If you have the opportunity, fit in as much work experience and internships as you can. This is your chance to learn hands on from your ideal institutions/practitioners and is likely to be a very valuable addition to your CV. Although these placements are usually unpaid, you often learn the most and get close to people and jobs for which you would normally be considered inexperienced.
- Be proactive: It just works!
