This is a guest blog by graduate student Eleanor Townend

So your student days are behind you; the exam results are out, the late night cramming is no more, and you are finally free to do whatever you want with your brand new degree! So… what happens next? It feels like university will last forever when you enroll, and you might forget to look past graduation day. I am sharing my story with you, so that you can be just that little bit more prepared, and excited!

As a graduate of HSS, I have a degree in BSc (Hons) Nutrition which I received in 2018. I have the title ‘Associate Nutritionist’ and have a job as part of a graduate scheme with Compass Group. I have moved away from our beloved Bournemouth to Chichester, where I cover 198 primary schools in West Sussex! No two days are the same, as I am the only nutritionist for the area; being the lead for engagement and special diets!

One day, I might be delivering workshops in classrooms using food as materials, while the next I might be checking menu’s for ‘special diet’ children who have allergies or intolerance’s. In a bit more detail, this means I am checking specifications for particular ingredients to make sure the food the child receives is safe, and if it isn’t, it is my job to get that adjusted!

Since joining, I have also been lucky enough to attend conferences, university open days, award ceremonies, new menu tastings (both as the tester, and the researcher), parents coffee mornings, some fab dinners, exhibitions and of course, some training programmes! I have travelled across the country to both deliver and attend these thing, and have stayed in quite a few hotels now! Despite being in the job for less than 4 months, I have put so many more things from my degree to use than I would ever have imagined. From having to know what temperatures foods need to be when undertaking a school kitchen audit, to being able to present and train 50 adults on the Food Information Regulations! If nothing else, learning where to find reliable information, and how to send a well worded email in seconds is something that university has well and truly set me up for.

Having been able to mix and communicate with such a variety of people in all sorts of roles has been a blessing, both in university, and in the workplace. I am proud to say that whilst the job I have is amazingly diverse, challenging and motivating, I have to admit that BU was indeed the making of me. From one cornerstone to another, us graduates never stop learning, so don’t worry about life post uni- the grass is just as green!