I can’t even believe it is coming up to the end of my placement year with Your Back Yard but as they say when one door closes another opens.. and that opening is our 5th placement opportunity!
I will be going to go into all of the great opportunities YBYs placement role offers but I want to make one thing clear… Taking a placement year at Your Back Yard or any other organisations is going to be the best decision you will ever make and here’s why:
- Take a break from education
Now I am not saying taking a placement year and working full time is a ‘break’ but undertaking a year in industry acts as a break from day-to-day university studying, seminars, lectures and reading weeks! We all need time to refresh from our mundane routines of learning which if you didn’t take a gap year in-between college and university that’s 13 years in education with the same routine of learning, revising, reciting and repeating …
2. Put your knowledge into practice
It goes without saying all the knowledge you have learned at university is to be put into practice when you graduate. At Your Back Yard I have been able to put my presentation, analytical and critical skills in practice when analysing data, evaluating projects, and presenting research findings. So why not start embedding your knowledge into the real world now?
3. Learn new skills
Although practicing your skills in the real world is a huge benefit when taking a placement year, you will learn new skills along the way. I developed my; IT, project management skills, bid writing, editing, research, engagement, and teamwork skills from virtually nothing which I know (hope) when applying for graduate jobs will set me apart from my peers.
4. Meet new people
I am little miss chatterbox – I am not lie to you! So, running YBYs projects and engaging with new local communities allowed me to do what I do best… talk, build connections and make friends! I have met some incredible people over the last 8 months who I have shared great memories with and learned a lot from on a personal level.
5. Make mistakes
I have made my fair share of mistakes which have varied from missing a meeting or sending the wrong email to someone (pretty low risk) to almost falling for an IT scam (very very high risk)! But I can look back and learn from my mistakes now rather than making them at a later date.
6. Have fun
Have fun, more fun and even more fun! Working is inevitable for most of us so all you can do it pick the best role and work environment for you. For me that was here at YBY and I have had the most fun ever, at work, which I didn’t think was possible.
So, if you want a working environment where you can seek all the professional benefits for your career whilst having fun undertaking YBYs placement year is the obvious move for you!
If I have not sold our placement year to you why not check out Sydneys placement year insights here.
To find out more details about our placement year opportunity find our Research and Project development officer role on my careers or email kyra@yourbackyard.org.uk before 15th April! Good luck!
