Case Study - Stephanie

Stephanie joined Coventry University through Clearing in 2013 and is now a Cyber Intelligence Analyst for the UK Government as well as her co-founder role in public speaking agency for women of colour, Uttr.

She told us how her degree in Economics prepared her for her career over the last two years.

What attracted me to Coventry University was reading about the course and the international and development economic modules offered.

I was unsure at that time whether I wanted to go into diplomacy or international development.

I also liked the way the course was structured, first year was based on the basics and essential economic theories, but the second and third year allowed you to structure your degree around your interests.

Although, I did not end up taking a year out to work in the industry, the fact that I had the option was a motivating factor for me.

Studying at Coventry University equipped me with the skills needed for work life.

The career service was extremely supportive in helping me map out my career and understand my strengths and weaknesses. In my first year, I took an added advantage module, which is a scheme by Coventry to help you branch out and learn new skills outside your course remit.

I decided to take First Line in Management, which was a Charted Management Institute (CMI) course. The course was very practical in the sense that you had to look at various work-based scenarios and analysis based on your personality type and leadership styles we learnt, how we would tackle it.

This has been extremely useful for me in my various careers, to understand emotional intelligence, working in teams and ways I can best navigate the world of work. The University also had a language scheme, which you had to pay a low amount for and I chose French for my options, which has been useful in opening up to certain opportunities.

I work as a Cyber Intelligence Analyst within the UK Home office as well as my role as the Co-founder of Uttr, a public speaking agency promoting the profiles of ground-breaking women of colour.

Unfortunately, I am not allowed to speak on my current role within the UK Government publicly, but as an intelligence analyst my job is to look at ways to protect the way people use the internet from cash scams to government impersonation.

What I can say is that I gather information, data and research from different government departments and then make recommendations to the government on how to solve problems.

What attracted me to working in government is the fact that my client is the public. I love helping people and I am happy that the sector I am in is focused on serving everyday people. I also like the flexibility the sector offers; the civil service is very big on work/life balance and are very encouraging in helping you maintain the balance.

In Uttr my role includes: image management, sourcing out talent, stakeholder management with potential clients, marketing, web design and any ad hoc tasks essential for the company.

The most enjoyable part of my job is working with incredible women who have a wealth of knowledge and being able to help them share it and grow in confidence.

My happiest memory of Coventry University must be the moments spent with my friends, especially the sleepless nights within my study groups revising for an exam.

Coventry University has an enact ability to help you discover your ‘why’ in terms of the intentions behind your aspirations and dreams and how to use that self-awareness to pursue them boldly.