I actually debated between studying abroad and taking a placement year, but in the end I thought, the best outcome would be from my year in industry. I knew it would give me an edge in the future, for both applying what I learnt at university and overall experience. I heard a lot about how tough the job market is, so I wanted to take the year in industry to allow myself to stand out from the crowd and gain the valuable experience from working in a company.

I provide Marketing Support (a range of roles) to my Research and Technology department in Cummins, across multiple NPD projects (New Product Development). I have also branched out and joined/developed other projects outside my department, including strategic relationship management, brand development & recruitment and Distribution procedure improvement. My experience at Cummins has been extremely valuable and eye opening to what a real working life actually is.

The placement structure in Cummins has been created really well, it allowed me to explore other areas and get involved with projects outside my department. I have learnt an incredible amount in the time I have been here, met interesting people and seen how Marketing actually is used in the workplace, instead of simply learning about it at University. The one key outcome of my experience, is that I definitely know I want to follow marketing as my career path.

I love the work I do with my team, and the level of responsibility I currently have with the projects I’m involved in. Before starting my placement, I wanted a role that would be challenging, and push me, I didn’t want a small role where I was the ‘coffee boy’, and through Cummins I have been pushed, which has developed me in a positive way. Everyone I have worked with were friendly and brought a lot of interesting experience to the table; it’s been great to learn from everyone I’ve worked with.

I did consider doing a masters at university, but I feel with the experience I have gained in my placement year and knowing how much I like working in Marketing, I will apply for graduate schemes after I graduate from University. I have already looked at the scheme offered by Cummins which is a rotational programme, through different business units across Europe (one rotation abroad), and this really does appeal to me.

I think the LUMS careers team really provides a lot of value to students, in the sense of support and skill development. Honestly I didn’t grab this opportunity in second year before my placement and I do regret it, but fortunately I managed to secure a placement. I will be getting involved with LUMS careers as much as possible in my final year of university, especially for graduate applications, because I know they will really help improve my chances of successfully getting a graduate offer.