BSc (Hons) Product Design
Graduated 2003
I studied Product Design in High Wycombe, graduating in 2003, but was on campus through to 2004, as one of the Sabbaticals at the Students’ Union. By the time I graduated, my interests had moved away from Product Design, so after I left the SU, I took an admin job as a temporary measure. That role introduced me to Intellectual Property Law, which fascinated me. I worked my way up through admin, paralegal and then trainee roles, took a load more exams, and eventually qualified as a Trade Mark Attorney* in 2013. I’m now a Partner of Marks & Clerk LLP, one of the UK’s largest IP Law firms.
*essentially a specialist lawyer dealing in trade marks, counterfeiting and other brand protection issues
What are your memories of being a student at BNU?
I had a great time. Living in halls for the first year meant I got to know lots of people, a really diverse crowd. From there, I met friends of friends, and before I knew it, I had a friendly face wherever I went in town. The SU held lots of events so there was plenty of entertainment on site, and trips elsewhere; I learned to surf in Devon, and went “on tour” with the netball team. The May Ball was always a highlight of course, as well as the guest acts that performed at the SU. I remember the HW campus and central Wycombe as it was - nothing like it is now!
What advice could you give to recent graduates who want to get ahead?
We all know it’s a difficult market out there. Keep an open mind, and consider any opportunity that arises, even if it’s not exactly what you planned. Seek out relevant experience, and “up-skill” where possible, to put yourself in the strongest position compared to your peers. Sometimes it isn’t the role that doesn’t fit, but the employer, and a lateral transfer can make all the difference. At base level, every graduate hopes their degree will help give them a financially stable future, but it’s also important to find a role you enjoy, if you’re going to spend most of your life doing it.
How did your degree at BNU impact on your career?
Firstly, it got me through the door; I was told at my first interview that it didn’t matter what the subject was, a degree demonstrates an ability to learn, and that was what they were looking for. For a long time, I thought that was where my degree’s value ended, but actually a role in law revolves around meeting deadlines, and forward-planning in order to do so, and you can’t pass a degree course without learning how to do that. I learned how to structure reports and projects, which are everyday staples now. Having a design-based degree also helps me to see a trade mark through the eye of its designer, enabling me to articulate what they can do to make it stronger from a brand protection point of view.
Why did you join the course?
I felt (at the time) that the course content was aligned with what I wanted to do as a career. I’d visited an open day and liked the campus, and High Wycombe generally, as well as its convenience for getting home to London (whilst being far enough away that I’d have to live away from home). The lecturers that I met at my interview were welcoming and relaxed. Overall, I felt not just the course, but the overall setting, was a good fit for me.
What aspects of your studies did you enjoy the most and why?
My course was a relatively small group, and we all got on well. The lecturers were friendly, they taught serious engineering subjects but didn’t take themselves too seriously, and that made them approachable when I needed help. We went on a few excursions to see industry in action, and study tours abroad were also an option (where we obviously studied hard and did nothing else!). My course had elements of 3D-modelling and CAD, which I really enjoyed – the physics elements? Not so much.
Which parts of your student experience were the best preparation for your job?
I learned a lot about building relationships, which I now do daily with my clients and colleagues. Self-sufficiency and budgeting were new to me at 18, and the skills I learned feed directly into my day-to-day working life. My time at the Students’ Union had me attending lots of meetings and leaving with actions to carry out, which again has been a staple to my career. When writing essays and a dissertation, you have to persuade the “examiner” that you’ve met the marking scheme, and now I spend a lot of my time writing legal arguments, which require a similar analytical input.
What are your major careers milestones since completing your studies?
More than twenty years after graduating, I’ve hit a few milestones that were significant to me:
- Getting a job (any job!);
- Finding a viable long-term career that interested me;
- Completing a postgraduate course that gave me some of the qualifications I needed to get onto the career ladder;
- Getting onto that ladder;
- Qualifying as a Trade Mark Attorney, after what seemed like a lifetime of exams;
- Finding the employer that was a good fit for me;
- (a few promotions, which were all important milestones, but they don’t all need their own bullet point);
- Partnership in a law firm, something that only became even a possibility after finding the right employer.
What are your future ambitions?
For me personally, I’m high in terms of seniority but there are some other professional steps I could potentially take. But my priorities and ambitions now are really about steering my kids in the right direction. I would like them to go to university for the experience if not the degree, but if they have other plans, then as long as they aren’t going to struggle for money in life, I’ll follow their lead.
What advice would you give to a student considering the course or looking to get into a career in your sector?
BNU doesn’t offer my course any more (it’s been 20 years), and the content of the closest equivalent is very different, but what I would tell myself at 18 is to ask more questions about the course content; the overview doesn’t necessarily tell you everything, and for me, a specific reference to physics (rather than module name) could have meant I took a different path, as it just doesn’t compute in my brain. I think I would also look for courses with a wider range of applications in terms of real world jobs.
For existing students, I would encourage you to get involved with the SU early on (I waited until my final year, and then felt I’d missed out). Take every opportunity while you’re a student, they might mean experience applicable to job applications.
For my actual career, the specific degree doesn’t necessarily matter (but when recruiting, a firm may look for specific skills, often foreign languages). What you need is relevant skills, analytical thinking and a commercial view (what will the customer think?). For any student, unless a role requires a specific degree that you don’t have, you can always find a way to break in, like I did, it might just take a bit longer.