Joshua Buckland

I'm originally from Leeds and choose to come to Northumbria for several reasons. The first was because my mum's side of the family were from Newcastle so I knew the area well, Northumbria also had a great reputation for the social life not to mention the content of my course being of great interest to me. If I am completely honest, choosing to be a professional Headhunter was never anything that I had originally considered before university. I'd always been under the impression I was going to join the military as an Officer, but I went to a careers fair and was hooked straight away.

What are you doing now?

I am a Senior Project Manager within the NHS.

How did studying at Northumbria help you achieve your career goals / give your career an edge?

I think one of the biggest things that Northumbria did to help me and give me the edge over other people was to boost my confidence. I was never a shy person to start with, but the opportunities to interact with a large variety of people were beyond count at Northumbria. I was a Course Representative, allowing me to meet all the people on my course and being able to get to know everyone. As well as being a Student Ambassador, where I was able to interact with hundreds of people answering questions left, right and centre, and helping me to think on my feet and properly answer question as well as selling the University in the best possible light. 

What was the best thing about your course?

There is no way I could individually identify one aspect of my course that was the best thing, as there wasn't one part of the course that I didn't enjoy. All the Lecturers were incredibly helpful with all aspects of life, not just academically but with anything you would take to them. But one stand out feature was the people on the course, as you can have constant help, whines and loads of great memories with them.

Which skills/knowledge did you learn on your course that you use most in your career?

Strangely, the skill that I perfected on my course was communication. Given the stereotype of a History student is that of a quiet library dweller, constantly engrossed in books. However, a fundamental aspect of my course was discussing things in depth with people and writing essays. A skill that has been a great benefit in my career, as I put my message across in a very clear way that always addresses the point and is easily interpreted.

What did you enjoy most about your time at Northumbria University?

I think the thing I enjoyed the most about Northumbria is the people and staff. In the three years of being at the University, and meeting what must have been a thousand people, there wasn't one person that was unfriendly, rude or even boring. Everyone had their own ambitions, drives, backgrounds and sense of humour but that's one thing that made Northumbria just that more enjoyable as everyone you met you knew you could have a laugh with.

What advice would you give somebody who is thinking of studying at Northumbria?

Don't waste your time while your at Northumbria, make sure from the outset you put yourself out there and try to get involved with as many aspects of the University life that you could. As cliche as it sounds University helps define you as a person and is where you will actually realise the types of people you get on with best, the things that interest you the most and you can try things that you previously never thought possible. So don't wade into the pool slowly, run and bomb into the pool and make as much mess as possible as the stories will be great.

How would you describe your time at Northumbria in three words?

Not one regret.