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.

As a Supervisory Analyst, I work for the Prudential Regulation Authority. My main responsibility is to protect the stability of the economy by regulating banks. This means working with colleagues within the Bank of England and people working for banks to ensure that the financial system remains sound. This protects the people of the United Kingdom from the risks associated with financial instability.

My typical day involves working on reports and handling data related to specific banks, so that they can be effectively regulated. I also attend a number of meetings with both internal and external attendees, to create a positive relationship with those banks and ensure they are compliant with regulations. My day to day activities are high profile and provide an important service to the public.

As I am on a graduate scheme, I also attend lots of training sessions and am completing a qualification in central banking, which may in the future lead to a masters degree. As a result of this, I meet regularly with other graduates, in both social and professional settings.

My favourite part of my role are the people that I work with. The Bank of England is diverse and full of interesting people, who are friendly and always happy to offer advice. Being part of a graduate scheme is also a big plus for me, as i have been able to make lots of friends since joining.

Coming from a history background, the job has required me to learn a lot of new information and attend a lot of training sessions relating to finance. This has been challenging but I have enjoyed the opportunity to broaden my horizons.

The work appealed to me as it is varied, high profile and provides a service to the public. The Bank of England has a very inclusive culture that attracted me to the institution. Furthermore, the work is challenging and requires me to learn new skills every day, which I find particularly stimulating.

The main skills I use in my job are:

Communication
Teamwork
Analysis
Problem solving
Creativity

My degree has proved very useful, as it taught me how to analyse information, write articulately and make well-rounded judgments based on the available evidence.

I came straight onto the graduate scheme after leaving University!

In the near future I plan to stay within the Bank of England, as there are wide variety of roles across the organisation that I would like to try. Long-term, I am interested in working in the area of sustainable development, or perhaps starting up a social enterprise.

Don’t be put off by jobs that look like they will require very technical skills if you are coming from an arts background. Lots of organisations are keen to bring in graduates with a range of skills and do not just look at degree titles.

Try your hand at lots of different jobs and area of work! It doesn’t hurt to find out what you don’t like as well as what you do.

Be sure to join societies at University! Being part of one myself was great for my confidence and gave me lots to talk about at interviews.