Weirdly enough, I am doing my placement in the same place I am studying, respectively at the University of Bradford School of Management as a computer services assistant. Why did I choose to do an IT related placement if I am on Business course? Well that’s a story for another time.
To be honest at the start, I wanted to write this about pros and cons post but I couldn’t really find anything negative about working in the University.
The School of Management is relatively small campus and everything feels so homely and friendly here. It looks like a small castle or church, or something in the middle and it has this special atmosphere like the building itself would hold a lot of history and stories. If you are a Harry Potter fan you would definitely appreciate that. However, when you go inside its all modern and light. If you are like myself and love to be a student, then you would love to work here. I have my office in the building were all the lecturers live but then few steps to a different building and I am in a student area. I get to meet all my university friends, have a lunch together, hear all the study related talks and have a bit of laugh. When they go to lectures or library, I go back to my office to enjoy a study free environment. And the top of all it, I get paid for it.
me in the atrium
Moreover, I don’t really miss out anything from student life. I still get all the invitations for student parties, I am involved with the cheerleading society and I am around campuses all the time.
On the more serious note I would say that the best part of working in School of Management is that I get to know all of the lecturers. Basically I was just one of these 300 students on the course and I was not the type of student who just goes up to a lecturer for a chat. Now I know personally almost all of my previous lecturers and some which I will have in my final year. However, I am not sure yet if knowing lecturers will be advantageous in my final year or will put an extra pressure on me as they expect me to do well.
Now when I have seen the University from internal perspective, I do understand the whole business picture much better. This is a bit strange as you would not expect to see University as a business with all the business functions when you are a student, would you?