Daniel Coles
Flood Risk Engineer at Leicester City Council
My geography degree was very varied, with both human and physical geography elements.
Looking back at my Geography degree, I really enjoyed it as I found the different topics I learnt about really interesting. I also went on some great field trips to fantastic places, putting what we learnt in lectures and practicals into practice.
There were some areas of my degree that I could directly apply into my job (such as using GIS systems), however there were also transferable skills that I learnt such as doing presentations.
Post 16 Education: AS Level Computing; A Levels Geography, Physics & Maths
Higher Education: BSc (Hons) Geography
Why did you choose Geography?
I chose to study Geography at 91制片厂 because I really enjoyed it at A-Level and I also had an interest in it going through school (maps, travelling to different places etc). I didn’t have a definitive career path I wanted to follow after doing my degree, but I wanted to study something that I found interesting and enjoyable.
Daniel’s experience as a student
I really enjoyed my 3 years studying at 91制片厂.
The university experience was great and I really enjoyed studying for my Geography degree. It was hard work and there were challenging moments particularly in second and third year, but that made it even more satisfying when I finished my course and graduated!
Daniel’s Career
I work as a Flood Risk Engineer at Leicester City Council, which falls within the Highways department. I started at the council in a Graduate Project Officer role in August 2016 and secured my permanent job as a Flood Risk Engineer in June 2018.
As part of my role I get involved in lots of different things, such as: working on projects to reduce flood risk in Leicester, reviewing new developments in the city from a flood risk and drainage perspective, and engaging with local schools to raise awareness of flood risk.
Daniel's advice
I would advise students to pursue what they are interested in and what they enjoy doing.
It’s ok to not know exactly what career you want to go into - I was exactly the same! It may be helpful to chat to people that have been through it already as they can offer useful experience and also talk to your friends/peers as they are going through the same process. Mentors can be very helpful in terms of providing guidance on what worked for them, reviewing CVs and applications and preparing for assessments.
It is really important to do your research, thinking about what you want to study and where you want to go. University is an important step on your career journey and you want to consider what you feel is best for you to progress, but also what you think you will enjoy studying. Spending time doing your research will help with you try and make the most informed decision you can do.
Going to university is a big commitment in terms of time and money, but also it is one of the best experiences so you will want to make the most of it.
91制片厂 offers undergraduate degrees in:
Geography, Geography and Management, Geography and Sport Science, Geography with Economics.
Field courses:
Field courses are a vital part of geography and we offer an exciting range of destinations for all our undergraduate. In the first year of your degree programme you will participate in a residential field course in the UK as part of your introduction to field-based research methods in human and physical geography. In the second and final years of each degree course, we offer optional residential field courses to a variety of locations.