Year 12 Aspiration Digital Trip
Around 130 Year 12 pupils arrived on Wednesday at the University of Kent for an Aspirational Digital Conference. The day consisted of many talks by esteemed speakers and had the pupils thinking of careers digitally. The controversial topic of AI came up several times and was viewed as an amazing opportunity for our pupils (the entrepreneurs of the future) to fully embrace. It also gave the pupils the opportunity to visit a university and have a brief taste of university life.
Our student shared some fantastic comments about the day:
“I really enjoyed the chance to talk to lots of different people in the digital marketing industry, especially since that is a career path I am interested in. After the talks, I had the chance to speak one-on-one with most of the speakers and could ask questions specific to me, such as about getting degree apprenticeships within their profession, for example, I talked to Morgan Rodway-Wing about her experience at Reflect and the different future job opportunities within the company.
Before attending Aspiration Digital, I knew that I was interested in a career that mixed psychology and business – specifically looking at marketing. However, throughout the day I learnt about how many different roles there are within this, as well as which skills and personalities would best fit these roles, which broadened my potential career options – I have now done further research into them. Aspiration Digital also showed me how important LinkedIn is to keep in touch with potential opportunities and I will definitely set up an account and start to Network with as many people as possible.” – Emily
“I really enjoyed being able to learn more about the wide variety of different career paths available to me in the digital world, most of which I didn’t know were a possibility, such as a copywriter. The speakers were extremely helpful and made their talks very engaging, making me motivated to learn more about career paths open to me. I also loved how easy it was to speak to professionals and network, as it made it clear to me how I can use my transferable skills from things such as my A-levels and extra curricular activities to go on to a digital career.
“I left Aspiration Digital with much more of an open mind and more awareness of different career paths I could take. I was also able to speak to people about future education, such as the media team at Kent University as well as people who have done degree apprenticeships, allowing me to think deeply about which path to take after sixth form. I have definitely been inspired to look more deeply into my future and make sure that I end up in a career that I feel passionate about, as well as taking any opportunities that interest me.” Olivia
“Personally, I found the speakers most interesting, the last person who spoke to us was very interesting and I loved learning about what makes us human and how that differs from AI. However, going round the stalls was very enjoyable as I found out a lot about different courses and what exciting opportunities they presented.
The day has helped me look further at the University of Kent and the different paths I could take with a digital career. As I was already thinking of a digital career, this was very helpful on mapping out the multitude of careers that are digital and how people found their current career, which was very interesting to see. The day has helped me with providing more information on whether to do an apprenticeship or go to University, which is helpful for my future.” Taneka
“I really enjoyed having the opportunity to listen to all the guests who shared their experiences. I loved how we had a chance to experience it at a university. Most importantly, I have learnt so much from the guests as their journeys are really valuable and encouraging.
The day has encouraged me to think about different routes after A-level instead of just university, which will lead to success. The day has also inspired me to think about different opportunities and how to achieve it.” – Charlotte