Jamie Quinlan (Geography, 2014, Lonsdale) tells how a year abroad as part of his undergraduate degree piqued his curiosity to travel and, together with his fellow graduate wife, Emily, begin a series of adventures across the world.

'Lancaster University became a launchpad for both me and my wife Emily, in travelling and working across the world. My geography degree was uniquely combined with a year abroad in North America, where I studied at one of our partner colleges in Lincoln, Nebraska. This opened my eyes to the opportunities that lie within adventure, and kindled my curiosity for exploration.

The confidence gained from these experiences has since spurred me on to live across a few more continents since graduating and travel cumulatively to over 60 countries. I have primarily worked in the creative industries as a filmmaker. Emily’s career in teaching has been like a passport to the world, opening the many doors of international teaching. Although I don’t directly use my geography degree in my current work, I’ve certainly crossed a few lines on the map!

We now live in Muscat, Oman, a hidden gem full of heritage and natural interest. Emily studied English Language and Linguistics also at Lancaster and completed the Lancaster Award during her time there. Teach First were present on campus and guided Emily into their hands-on training programme. Her teaching qualification has now brought us to the Middle East, where she started work as an English Teacher - and most recently she became Head of Sixth Form. She will now be supporting student applications to top UK universities, including Lancaster of course!

I’m currently working on a documentary, filming the recently-discovered aggregations of whale sharks off the coast of Muscat. Working alongside conservationists and ecologists on this project re-connected me to ecology knowledge I picked up over a decade ago at university.

In filmmaking, I’m fortunate to gain insight into a broad range of industries that are of interest to me. One day I’m training with firefighters and the next I’m descending to shipwrecks with scuba divers! I’m increasingly now being offered work as an actor on the other side of the lens.

Although I didn’t study branding or marketing—or even get accepted into any of the UK marketing agencies that I applied to— I have now independently directed campaigns for global brands, including Apple and Jeep, as a solo freelancer. As a creative, I’m always looking to approach problems from a new perspective, including a divergent attitude from traditional career paths. There’s a lot of value in simply ‘doing your own thing’. I have found enjoyment and perceived success to be close friends when it comes to work!

In the UK we are fortunate to have an open perspective towards education. It’s not seen as a restrictive field, but instead can keep plenty of doors open for us. Above all I look back fondly on the value of the experience that university brings—friendships, independence and mindset.'