Andy Stevens (BBA, 2003, Pendle) describes how his work placement year at Lancaster gave him the opportunity to find his passion.

"As part of my Lancaster University experience I did a year’s work placement in my third year. The biggest thing I learnt from it was what I didn’t want to do. Don’t get me wrong, I learnt a lot. I was interested in the work I was doing, project and change management. I liked the fact it provided a logical methodology where you can deliver change and minimise the risk of change. I loved the people I worked with, and nearly 20 years later, I am still friends with some of them. What I did find though was the corporate sector wasn’t for me. I just wasn’t motivated in the morning to get up and earn someone else more money. It was then I decided to combine one of my passions with my career.

I had always volunteered and raised money for the charity sector. I’d met many amazing, dedicated and positive people, but often things seemed inefficient and outdated. So I thought about applying my newly acquired project and change management skills and management knowledge from Lancaster University to the charity sector.

And that is where my career started. I first took permanent roles with a variety of charities working in various teams from fundraising, policy, to programmes and finance. I also combined it with my other passion (travelling) and focused on international charities. I was fortunate to gain roles which allowed me the opportunity to spend time in Ethiopia, Angola and Thailand on various projects.

Six years ago, I took another step and moved from permanent roles to consulting. This is another area where my Lancaster University experiences helped me. After my whole life spent in the same town and same house, Lancaster was my first new environment. And then I spent the four years of my degree moving around – first Lancaster, then an exchange to the USA, then a work placement in London, and finally back to Lancaster. The experience of moving to different environments and learning to adapt and make new relationships provided me with many skills that I use now as I work for multiple organisations.

I love my career and feel lucky that I am able to meet so many wonderful individuals who work tirelessly to make the world a better place. And it’s varied, no day feels the same. One day I could be delivering a major change project which benefits others around the world, another day I might be facilitating a workshop on how to improve social impact, or I might be coaching a senior manager on achieving positive change. Lancaster University provided me with the experiences and skills so I could achieve this career and I will always be grateful for that. Thank you.

Further information on my experiences and contact details: https://www.andyconsultancy.com/ and I’m happy to be approached by students interested in joining the charity sector or those graduates looking for a move into it.