Alumni Stories: Kathryne Ellinger
19th September 2018
In this new series of posts, we’ll be looking at what our former students do after they graduate in History at the University of Gloucestershire. It will demonstrate the various types of employment history graduates can go into, or the varied and interesting experiences they have, providing some useful guides for existing and future students of History. The next story comes from Kathryne Ellinger (class of 2016).
After graduating in 2016, my degree helped me to secure a job the very day I left university. I had no idea what I wanted to do, but the careers team at the University helped me realize that I could combine my love of weddings with my passion for History. They also helped me find jobs in the industry and helped me to apply for these jobs. As a result, I started work as an assistant wedding and events coordinator in a castle.
Like working in any historic building, maintenance work is inevitable. When the castle closed for refurbishment, I decided to take a 6-month break and try my hand at operations management. I took a job in the French Alps for the largest tour operator, TUI. Here, I also had the amazing opportunity to learn to snowboard.
My organisation, prioritisation and writing skills from my undergraduate degree came in extremely handy. My degree also taught me to question, to research and to be objective. These skills have helped me prove myself to my employers. I was the only operation executive, out of 9, who secured a job with the company for the summer. This job just happened to be in Italy and it looks like my next job will be taking me to Austria for the winter, which is a great perk.
Studying History taught me valuable organisation, time management and communication skills. A History degree gives you so many transferable skills that are valuable for a wide variety of vocations and careers. A History degree will be useful no matter what you want to do down the line.
If you are an Alumni in History and you would like to contribute, please contact Christian O’Connell coconnell@glos.ac.uk