Geography BA/BSc(Hons): After you graduate

"I loved geography at school and was hungry to learn more about the social, economic, political and physical reasons behind why and how humans developed as they have and what the future may hold. I visited Kingston University and instantly liked the town and the people in the faculty. I signed up on the spot and cancelled all the other university visits I had planned.

"I found years two and three of the course particularly interesting and diverse. There was a really good choice of modules and I liked that Kingston offered all geographers the chance to gain a BSc.  

"My second year was livened up by an exchange. I went to West Michigan in the US for a semester. This gave me the opportunity to study geography abroad and travel in the US.  It also made me appreciate how lucky I am to have the opportunities afforded to me by virtue of being a British citizen.

"For my final year dissertation I conducted my research in South Africa. This gave me big brownie points in terms of my overall mark (a First) and, again, I got a taste of living and working abroad. I developed lifelong friends and had a fantastic, fun – although at times scary – experience.

"After graduating, my first job was as a buyer's clerk in retail. My geography degree gave me a good understanding of demographics and statistics, which is needed in this field. However, for personal reasons, I left to live abroad shortly afterwards.

"On returning to the UK, I got a job as an estate agency administrator. Six months later I was running my own office as a manager and negotiator. After this, I briefly returned to retail, and then in 2000 went to my current employers working as an account executive (sales) role within the health, safety and environmental sector (HS&E).

"I advise clients such as T-Mobile, MOD and Pizza Hut about how to improve their HS&E systems. I have been offered various roles at the British Safety Council, but chosen to stay in sales, progressing up the ladder to become one of just two senior account managers.

"However, I am leaving shortly to take on a new role at a company that provides performance improvement solutions. I will be working with some of the world's leading firms to develop new business across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. My proven ability has enabled me to earn a £45k basic salary, with an opportunity of £80k in year one, going into six-figures for year two.

"My geography degree has given me the ability to appreciate the bigger picture, whether the canvas is my company or the global economy. I also have the tools to dig out small specific details. This enables me to thoroughly understand my client's business objectives and, in turn, helps me to sell the solutions my company provides. Commercial acumen and the ability to understand your marketplace are valuable skills to possess.

"Geography is a fantastic subject because it will give you a lifelong appreciation for the world we live in. In order to make a positive impact in business, you have to understand the needs, develop the skills and believe in what can be achieved – this is also what human geography will do for you."

"I didn't have any idea about what career I wanted when I started university. I chose geography because it was a subject I really enjoyed at school, partly due to a great teacher (thanks Mr Browne!), and because I thought it could lead in many different directions.

"There are lots of reasons why I decided to study at Kingston. As an area it's beautiful. The town is one of the best – it has everything a student would want or need and the University itself appealed to me.

"I enjoyed the course – I was always more interested in physical geography and it allowed me to specialise in this area. But by the time I graduated, I still didn't know what I wanted to do career-wise. The fields I particularly enjoyed were very specialist (coastal management, earthquakes and volcanoes, floods and meteorology).

"However, during my time at the University, I worked at a local nightclub and spent the summers living in Ibiza. So I started promoting a night at a Kingston club each week. This was voted 'Best Regional Night' in the first ever UK Garage awards. As I also knew many DJs and had a keen interest in music, I was offered a position as a press officer in a music PR company called Phuturetrax, dealing mainly with dance music.

"After two years I was asked to work for Radio 1's Dreem Teem, doing their press and PR, and running their record label. I also set up a PR company on their behalf, promoting new music.

"In 2002 I decided to go it alone. I took the PR department I had created and set it up as my own company, Diffusion PR. I still own and manage Diffusion PR, but a year ago I incorporated the business with online promotion company DJ in the Mix (the first of its kind) with Eddie Gordon – a dance music industry bigwig.

"It's a brilliant job and very varied. I get to travel to music conferences in places such as Miami and Cannes, and there are lots of perks. Basically, record labels come to us with new tracks and artists, and we promote them to radio DJs, club DJs and the music press to get as much exposure as possible. It's good fun and a great feeling when I create a hit record from something no one has heard of.

"Although my degree has not directly influenced my career, having a degree makes people take me more seriously and there are things I learnt at University that have helped me. For example, university builds your independence and you learn to manage your time. This has stood me in good stead for running my own business.

"Geography has also given me a great understanding of everyday life. It's such a broad subject that it's ideal if, like me, you do not have a clear idea of what you want to do. Understanding the world around you can be applied to whatever you're doing."