Will Sugg is a BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies and MSc Social Research Methods graduate. He now works as an Account Executive at Communisis in Swindon.
I was accepted onto my BA course via Clearing after some less than impressive A level results. After enjoying the course and succeeding at it, I chose to stay on for another two years and study my masters at Plymouth. There wasn’t anywhere else I wanted to do my MSc!
I originally arrived in Plymouth with the intention of training to be a teacher; over the course of my degrees, my career aspirations have changed countless times. I eventually settled on working in marketing after starting my MSc. I was working alongside my degree in this field and was able to tweak some of the modules to support this as well.
I had an incredible time at the University and couldn’t think of a single thing I would have changed, though this wouldn’t have been the case had I not made the effort to meet all the people I did; I made friends through halls, sports teams, societies and part time work alongside my course friends. All of these people contributed to my incredible time in Plymouth.
The entire five years I spent in Plymouth from start to finish were the best. I don’t think I could pick a specific memory as a ‘favourite', though captaining my team to winning the University Futsal League and cup double will always be up there. Steffen Freund FC forever!
I wouldn’t have succeeded as well as I did without the support of the fantastic lecturers I encountered throughout my studies. On both my undergraduate and postgraduate courses, they couldn’t have been more helpful or supportive when I needed it.
I can’t think of a better place to study. The location, the staff, the students and the city all contribute to what I consider to be the best place to have studied and spent five years.
Since completing my MSc I have been working in marketing as an Email Account Executive, working with one of the country’s biggest financial institutions, helping support their email channel. This role involves liaising with a number of different people across teams and deploying emails to their customers. Emailing several million people in one go is pretty exciting! I’m still at the start of my career so I anticipate a lot more exciting things lined up.
I don’t think I would do much differently. I struggled to find a job in the industry I wanted – if someone has a specific job in mind I would recommend volunteering any spare time they have to get experience.
I think I was extremely well prepared for everything I’ve faced. Mainly being able to communicate effectively, especially in writing. Before my degrees, my writing style was poor and lacking any kind of tone. The essays I wrote at university helped me define a writing style, which helps me when communicating with countless different people during a day.
Take a fresh look at childhood. Exploring the theory and reality of children’s early years from many points of view, this innovative course will help you find your niche in this competitive sector. Investigate issues through the lenses of sociology, social psychology, history, and philosophy. Work directly with young children and their families on placements at home or abroad for up to a year.
Study BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies
A quality learning experience. The School of Society and Culture provides students with a quality learning experience both within and outside the taught curriculum, helping them to transform their lives and realise their ambitions.
