College’s Careers Event Provides Insights Into Wealth Of Career Possibilities

Nearly sixty speakers, the majority Old Princethorpians, along with some current and former parents, gave generously of their time to present on a wide variety of careers and professions. There was something for everyone, from Accountancy, Finance and Banking to Medicine and Midwifery, Engineering, Computing and IT, from Law, Architecture, Construction, Surveying, Energy and Renewables, Marketing and Journalism and Product Design to the Performing Arts, Fashion, Sports Careers, Police and the Armed Forces and even Teaching. The individual presentations gave pupil attendees the chance to consider careers, research universities and explore opportunities such as apprenticeships. There was a host of advice to listen to, lessons to be learnt, questions to be asked and connections to be made.  

The morning included a truly inspirational keynote speech from our guest speaker and Old Princethorpian, Tunde Olanrewaju, Senior Partner with global management consultancy, McKinsey & Co. Tunde’s speech was full of encouragement, wisdom and sound advice as well as a few tales from his time here at Princethorpe. He spoke movingly of the strength of the friendships he formed at the College and how the environment and people he met here shaped the person he has become today. He shared his lessons from life, of giving yourself the space to develop, of focusing on the things you really care about, of the importance of remaining curious, living in the present and of believing in yourself, which together help you towards a successful and fulfilled future. He encouraged pupils to look for and take opportunities to develop their skills, to help them figure out what they want from life, and especially to develop their networks, as it is those connections and mentors that can really help you to achieve great things. He finished by reminding his audience of the power of optimism, of leaving the doubts behind and of focusing on the world of opportunities out there. 

Thanking Tunde, Headmaster, Grove du Toit, reflected on the powerful insights that Tunde had shared and urged pupils to take them on board. He reiterated all the opportunities that the event provided and encouraged all the attendees to make the most of the morning exploring careers, universities and life after the classroom. 

Aimed at Year 10 to Sixth Form, for many of the pupils, this was their first step on the career ladder, and it was a great opportunity to have a taste of some of the different sorts of career choices available. 

Feedback has been exceptionally positive, with parents and pupils commenting on how useful and informative the event was: ‘It was fantastic. Varied, informative and frankly inspiring too’ and ‘It was so well organised, informative and extremely useful. We were so impressed with the lectures we visited and in particular, the keynote speech was quite inspiring'.

We are immensely grateful to all the Old Princethorpians, parents, contributors and staff who supported the event and to the Careers and Alumni Teams for their organisation of this key event.