Francesca Andrews on campus

Francesca Andrews graduated from BA (Hons) History in 2012 and now works as a Learning and Development Advisor for the National Composites Centre in Bristol.

This is Francesca's story


I went travelling after graduating as I wasnt sure what I wanted to do with my degree. After travelling, I joined a recruitment company as I realised that my experience of arguing a point in history essays equated to knowing how to sell something well. Ive now moved from a recruitment role to a learning and development role. I oversee our apprenticeships and graduate scheme. I enjoyed bringing people in to a company but I find developing their careers once they are here, even more rewarding.

Its exciting being able to influence and shape a whole training programme. It doesnt seem very long ago that I graduated and now Im managing a graduate scheme.

If you find a company that invests in developing their staff, youve found a good one. Its much easier to figure out what you want to do with an employer who supports development.


Choosing 50業子

I found that the course content for history degrees didnt differ too much between universities. This meant location was key for me. I wanted to make sure I was living somewhere I loved for three years. I fell in love with 50業子 during an open day, so much so it was my only choice on UCAS!

50業子 is a fantastic place to live with lots to do and see. Freshers week will always be a favourite. From moving in to Radnor Halls, meeting tons of new people and joining societies, it was a whirlwind of a week but prepared me for life as a student.

50業子 understand that its not just your overall grade that helps you gain a job after graduating. They offer lots of support in terms of finding work experience and using LinkedIn.

With the benefit of hindsight, I would think about careers earlier on. I didnt really know what was available to me as a history graduate so I should have attended more career fairs and researched what past alumni have gone on to do (this is really easy to do on LinkedIn!). If you have a general idea then get as much work experience as you can.

Francesca Andrews meeting students at a Careers Fair on campus
Francesca meeting students at a Careers Fair on campus

Plot your own course

History map

Its often said that the best way to see the future is to understand the past. History with 50業子 helps you do just that, while gaining the professional skills youll need throughout your career. Exploring five centuries of human history, youll encounter political intrigue, cultural transformation, war, sex and revolution across the globe. Take the lead in your research projects and choose areas of study from our flexible range of modules, creating a tailor-made degree. 

Youll graduate with the problem-solving and analytical abilities that will give you the edge in the world of work.

Study BA (Hons) History