My current role and how I got here 

My name is Eva, I studied Liberal Arts with Professional Experience, and I graduated in the summer of 2026. I now work as a Graduate Planning Officer for Natural England. My job is in Urban Design, and I work specifically in protecting natural sites in the Northwest of England, so I am still based in Manchester. This means I consult Local Councils and developers to ensure they are doing everything they can to improve biodiversity, protect habitats, and make good environmental choices in their designs. I got this job by applying to Pathways to Planning which is a scheme open every year for people with no experience to get into planning! The full process takes around 9 months and it is quite a complicated application process like grad schemes (although this is not just for grads). Different councils/government organisations hire people all around the UK. A huge benefit to this programme is that you get a free master’s in urban planning, which you can study at most universities part time alongside your work.

How my course prepared me for the role

Liberal Arts was an amazing course, and I highly recommend it for having an open range of options ahead of you. I think being adaptable between disciplines, gaining strong critical thinking skills, and being able to nurture my interests with a lot of creative freedom prepared me well. People often think ‘there’s no job in Liberal Arts, what are you going to do with it after uni’ and I often felt mocked for doing the degree, but I am so happy with where it has gotten me! In this age with AI and the job market, picking a degree on what you ‘should’ do does not guarantee you anything. It is all about attitude, proactiveness, and what you do alongside your degree.

I also did a placement year in UX Design and an internship with a sustainable fruit and veg organisation in my time at uni. As well as a part-time role as a Research Fellow in my fourth year and freelance work in a Creative Writers Room. I think any degree will be highly boosted by work experience and I could not have got these opportunities if I wasn’t a student. This definitely put me ahead after university, so I recommend to anyone that aiming for a stacked CV is a gamechanger.

To get work experience the Careers website was the place to be- very underrated!! I found my placement year, my internship, and my Research Fellow role there. I also had a meeting with the careers team which was great. My future career aspirations right now are to continue working in urban design and eventually go into green infrastructure. I want to improve people’s lives and the environment as a core mission of mine!

Tips/advice for students 

My advice would be that as a student, it is easy to let the time pass you by, but I cannot stress how much just doing absolutely anything is better than nothing! Just put yourself out there, get rejected, say yes to opportunities. Everyone is underqualified so don’t feel like an imposter. I also volunteered at a few random places like a community kitchen, and that was valuable. I think it is so good to have a varied amount of experience too. Once an interviewer said to me that my career path seemed ‘all over the place’ at 22, and I think that was the biggest sign I did not want to work there, because my aim is to be full of different experiences. One more tip I have is to save up and go travelling because it is hard to discover what you want when you don’t know yourself. I went travelling straight after uni and it was the most eye-opening experience and I can’t recommend more. Overall, just be proactive and have fun with it!

Written by Eva Parr, a BA Liberal Arts with Professional Experience (2026) graduate. 

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