Civil Servant at the Ministry of Defence
Tell us a little bit about yourself
My name is Emily Fernando-Watkins, I graduated in summer 2020 (first covid year) and studied Economics BSc.
I worked at Waitrose shops throughout my studies part time, and spend all my free time either cooking, planning (and going!) on holiday or online shopping.
Why did you choose to study Economics at Royal Holloway and what did you enjoy most about your course?
Royal Holloway to me was a really special uni which I could tell from when I first visited the open days. A beautiful campus and the economics department were admirably passionate about economics and made me want to continue my studies here.
During the course I appreciated having the autonomy to determine my own level of independence and help within each module. If I wanted help that’s required face to face or individual support this was always available whilst not being forced on me so I was able to complete each module and determine my own level of help. I enjoyed the variety in what was taught each year and the options in year 3.
How was your personal experience of being part of the Economics community as a close-knit group of staff and students?
I enjoyed being part of this group, the staff were always available to support if I needed it, and the tutors/phd research students were a valuable asset to have. Mine were extremely supportive and really keen to help me develop in my learning.
How did Royal Holloway help you to discover opportunities and prepare you for life after university / to find your purpose in life?
Royal Holloway had multiple careers opportunities available but to me, having a broad spectrum of studies with economics made it possible for me to get an overview of multiple areas I could pursue and that allowed me to get a feel of which interested me and that I could see a viable career in.
Tell us about your career journey since graduating and what you do now. What do you enjoy most / find most rewarding about your current role?
After finishing university in Covid I progressed into a job at Waitrose Head Office working in e-commerce for Waitrose Cellar for a year. During my studies at Royal Holloway I had been encouraged to apply for the Government Fast Stream Graduate Scheme, for this I completed a lot of assessments and interviews before Covid began. When covid hit this was halted and they moved me into a candidate pool for the civil service. Later I was then contacted with a job offer from the Ministry of Defence to work in the Defence Nuclear Organisation which I accepted and have been working in the Portfolio and Risk space for 14 months now. My job involves working with the Navy and other enabling agencies to deliver the UKs defence strategic objectives (unfortunately due to security I can’t give any details!)
I have recently begun an MSc apprenticeship with the Cranfield Defence Academy in Systems Thinking, this is with the aim to become a systems thinking practitioner to be applied in the workplace.
What are your top tips for students thinking about a career in your line of work/study?
Stay up to date in current affairs that interest you! These will highlight opportunity areas for potential jobs one day. Researching jobs in government is very useful to see what areas of Economics are being applied - this will help to tailor third year modules for the best and most relevant knowledge.
