Ellie Smith

• Current job title: Assistant Spatial Planner
• Current employer: National Highways
• Industry: Transport

I chose this course at UON as geography had always been my favourite subject throughout school and I felt that Northampton would be the perfect place for me to study, due to its smaller class sizes.

The aspects of the course I enjoyed the most was the range of topics we studied and the variety of assignments. There was lots to learn that I didn’t know about at first, which really opened my eyes to how interesting geography can be.

My course has helped my personal development as it’s given me the confidence in my own abilities to be able to pursue a career in planning, and the group work and individual assignments during my degree taught me skills that have helped me professionally. University also helped to improve my self-belief, allowing me to feel confident in applying for a master’s and going for interviews.

My career so far has involved completing a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning, which further expanded on what I’d learnt when I was studying my Geography BSc. This has helped me to start my career in planning as an Assistant Spatial Planner.

The skills that I acquired during my degree that are most relevant to my current job are report writing and analysing documents – both helps me with my day-to-day duties. As well as public speaking, which I’m now starting to use in my role.

Choosing to study this course at the University of Northampton was the best decision I’ve ever made – it’s really boosted my self-confidence.