Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

I am involved in selling a variety of data, including modeled grid data to basic stations observations, to customers that can range from construction companies to law firms to data analysts.

A typical day would involve being contacted by a customer requesting data, and then looking to find the best options available to them. I will then process the order, complete payment, extract said data and deliver it to the customer.
I often consult with other teams to decide on the best data to suit the customers requirements, and will keep in frequent contact with each customer as the order is processed. A typical day involves 'picking up' at least 5 sales leads, and the length of time taken to process an order from start to finish can be anything from 1 day to 3 months, and I can have 150+ customers at any time.

I love all of the different people that I work with, both customers and colleagues alike. As well as this, I really enjoy the buzz that I get from any sale, whatever amount it may be!

It is challenging to sell constantly, especially to customers who don't have the budget that they need for the data. Sometimes this means you also have to deal with customer complaints, which are always a challenge!

I can use the knowledge gained during my degree and apply it in a very customer-facing role. It is a target driven environment (although I do not receive commission) that involves dealing with a wide range of people (both internal and external).

Communication, interpersonal, time management and multi-tasking skills. I also use my qualification from Sheffield, alongside my Applied Meteorology and Climatology MSc from University of Birmingham.

I've had Sales training and been given the opportunity to shadow colleagues from across the office, especially within Commercial. It's really opened my eyes to he breadth of products and services that the company has to offer.

Summer Placement at the Met Office on the Weather Desk: June 2012 - September 2012

MSc Applied Meteorology and Climatology at University of Birmingham: September 2012 - September 2013 (Merit Hons)

I'm currently completing an Open University course in 'Understanding Modern Business & Organisations'. If this goes well then I plan to do a degree in Sales and/or Business Management.
My hope is to move into consultancy into the future.

Take every opportunity! You should get as much work experience as you can and make sure you do something you love.

Thank you to the University of Sheffield for setting me up for a (hopefully) successful future!