OUGD502 CAREERS MEETING WITH INGRID

I recently had a careers meeting to talk about what direction I want to go in with my degree, and what my plans for the next year are.
I was confused as to what direction I want to go in with my degree, as I don't want to be a graphic designer as such, even though I'm doing a graphic design degree, as I did a work placement in a studio which made me realise this wasn't for me, I want a more active role, where I'm not just sat at a computer all day at a desk. We discussed that I don't really like designing things and coming up with ideas for designs, but prefer putting things together, and managing things instead. It was suggested that a career in art direction or project management would be better suited for me, although this still requires a fair bit of sitting at a desk work, however my main role would be working with the client and making sure things happen when they are supposed to. This is definitely something I would be interested in doing, and I said how I loved planning my holiday I went on this summer just gone, and it was suggested that perhaps I try working in a travel magazine, or do work experience at places such as Trail Finders or STA Travel, in their marketing department.
Ingrid showed me a really useful website called Prospects which lists all different kind of careers available, what these job roles entail, and what companies are offering positions for these roles as well, to get an idea of some of the jobs available to me, and what kind of companies these roles are available at, as this is somewhere I could look at for work placements over the summer or next year.
I also discussed how I wanted to take next year out, as I feel I need a break from blogging, which really bogs me down on this course, as I feel like I spend most of my time blogging my work and analysing it, rather than taking time over the research and actual designing process instead, which is where my efforts should really be. She suggested if this is something I've got my heart set on, it would be advisable to spend 9 months doing work placements in some of the places that could be potential places I want to work in the future, preferably paid work placements if I can get that, and then spend 3 months travelling, which is what I want to do really. She said that from an employers perspective, it wouldn't look good if I took a gap year as such to go travelling, as this reflects not very well, like I've just had enough and need a break, and may suggest I could do this in my job as well, which is not something I want to reflect to future employers, I want my employment chances to be at a high when I graduate, whatever year that may be in, not diminished because I wanted a year to myself to divulge in what I enjoy and have new experiences in different countries before I settle down and start my career. It was also said that if I wanted to take an actual gap year after I graduate and then come back and get a job, this wouldn't lower my chances of getting a job, as employers generally would prefer you to go travelling before you get a job, so you can focus. She also said that some larger companies you can apply for a job, letting them know you want to take a year out after you graduate, and can then come back a year later and start the job, which is something good to know, however this is all reliant on getting a job with a company that allows this, which I would only know if I get the job, which isn't certain at all. Ingrid also suggested I have a look at Magpie Creative Communications which is based in Leeds and Birmingham, as somewhere I could do work placements, as they are always looking for creative students to help them out, and are easily located at Leeds Student Union, just over the road from my own university. This is something I should take into consideration when looking at work placements.

This was all a lot of information to take in, hence why it has taken me nearly a week since my appointment to get it down on paper into some sort of cohesive order that I can make sense of. There are a lot of options I can go down, which I like to have, however I should ensure I research into each option carefully before I make any decisions, looking at what kind of career I want, what companies offer these jobs, and what I know in my gut I want to do with next year. I basically have a lot of research to do, to decide what the next step is.