Another amazing week of talks has passed us by in the blink of an eye, and what a week!
We’ve been left in the dust learning about the broad range of careers in Formula 1 (it’s not all drivers and mechanics!) and picking our jaws up from the floor after learning about the deft-defying speed of the world’s fastest jet suit. We were inspired by the myriad of emerging opportunities for a career in tech and learned that it’s not always about having a clear-cut plan when it comes to your career journey.
We hope you’ve enjoyed the talks as much as we have, and for those of you tuning in with your fantastic questions, please keep doing so!
As always, all talks are available in our On-Demand library, but here’s a little wrap of week three to get you started:
Joe Sturdy
Formula 1 Engineer
After being introduced to the world of racing and cars from a young age via his dad, Joe set his sights on working trackside too, with some exciting pit stops along the way! After studying Motorsport Engineering at university, Joe took on some ambitious internships which he highly recommends for prepping yourself for the world of work and having something to offer employers when you graduate.
Apart from introducing us to the astounding breadth of roles available in F1, Joe taught us that it’s important to believe in yourself. By going for roles he felt underqualified for, Joe ultimately made a successful path for himself by working hard and stepping up to the challenge. He also taught us it’s important to keep striving, keep learning, and keep challenging yourself.
“People who succeed are not always the most competent, but they’re the people who know exactly what their strengths and weaknesses are, and they work to them.”
Watch Joe’s talk here: Formula 1: An Insider’s View Into The World Of F1 Racing
Richard Browning
British Inventor, Gravity
We don’t have favourites when it comes to our speakers because they’re all brilliant, but if we did, Richard and his jet suit might make the top of the list! Undeniably impressive, Richard talked us through the step by step process, trials, and errors of bringing his idea for the fastest jet suit into full conceptualisation – the real Iron Man for sure! Richard’s talk taught us the true power of perseverance and the satisfaction of sticking with a goal to completion. You don’t want to miss this but be warned, you’ll definitely be left wanting to get into a jet suit!
“Take risks. Innovation is all about taking risks, you’ve got to take risks to forge a path down a route no one has taken before. There is no guidebook on what’s going to work and what isn’t. If there was then you’re not doing anything new. The critical rule having said that, is that you must cover off what happens if the risk manifests. For example, if the downside is that you’ll permanently injure yourself or someone else then we don’t do that.”
Watch Richard’s talk here: The Real Iron Man: How I Built The World’s Fastest Jet Suit
Dr. Wanda Wyporska
Executive Director, The Equality Trust
Dr. Wanda Wyporska FRSA, takes us on a fascinating early career journey, exploring the real value and privilege of education to help us achieve our goals in life. She speaks to us about the power of our histories to help us make sense of our changing world – especially crucial right now!
She gives some crucial insights into being a CEO and talks about the importance of making choices.
Watch Wanda’s talk here: Plan, What Plan?
Chris Tingley
Chief Technical Officer, Conjure
If you’ve got your sights set on a career in technology, this is the talk for you! Chris spoke to us about his early beginnings and the perseverance he put into attaining his career goal, despite a few academic setbacks, and the importance of discovering what you don’t like about work as much as what you do. It was through this process that Chris began to uncover the real breadth of career paths open to him within technology, and he wasted no time in trying out as many as he could!
He gives us a brilliant run-down of some of these and the skills needed to get into them. Chris believes there is a balance in life, what you put in is what you get out and if you want to do well you have to work hard – we couldn’t agree more!
“Being passionate about whatever you do is super important, especially when it comes to employability because if you can show that passion around what you do, you’re going to appear to be someone who really wants to do that job.”
Watch Chris’ talk here: Swimming In Tech: The Ocean Of Skills That Exist In Technology Careers
What’s Coming Up Next?
We’ve already got a stellar line-up of speakers ready to hit things off in week four of Learn Lounge, so if you haven’t already signed up for notifications when these talks go live, now’s your chance to get on board.
Keep connected with us and let us know what you think of the talks! You can leave comments on the individual talk pages, get involved with the Q&A, and use the #LearnLounge across social media.
