A placement at Intel while she was at the University of Greenwich launched the career of maths graduate Rachel Dickinson. She says it was the support of her lecturers and the employability team that gave her the confidence to land her placement. Today, she’s a business intelligence professional at Lloyds Banking Group and winner of an Above and Beyond award at the Women in Technology and Data Awards 2024.
You’ve had an interesting journey since leaving the University of Greenwich. What was your path from graduation to where you are today?
I was in two minds about whether to work in finance or go into teaching. The sandwich placement I took at Intel in my third year made me realise that I wanted to work in industry. As a graduate trainee at Intel, I took every opportunity that came up and interested me. I moved around departments and took on as many interesting projects as I could. I’m really ambitious and go for what I want. I’ve been at Lloyds Banking Group since 2022 and in April this year I landed a role as an interim senior manager.
How has your degree helped your career?
My degree was really helpful at the start of my career because it meant that I met the entry requirements for the job. My maths background is still helpful today as I have a different way of problem-solving. There are so many ways you can approach a mathematical problem and having that kind of mindset when approaching business problems is so valuable.
I also found the career support at university helpful. I remember there being quite a few workshops on CVs and things like that. I remember a guy from M&S critiquing our CVs and I found it really useful to have someone in industry reviewing mine.
The support of my lecturers and the employability team while I was looking for a placement helped me when the rejections came in. I started shying away from my applications for placements as I wasn’t used to rejection. The university staff were very encouraging. They told me it was a numbers game and to keep going.
My degree was really helpful at the start of my career because it meant that I met the entry requirements for the job.
Why did you choose the University of Greenwich?
There’s the obvious reason – I really like the campus, and I wanted to be in London as I’m from Essex. But it’s also quite a personal one for me. My grandparents grew up on the Isle of Dogs and they courted all around Greenwich. I remember going to the campus and I had this feeling that this was like home for me. It just seemed to be the right place for me. I had a similar feeling when I bought my house. I also remember hearing about how great the support services were. I found it useful when I was a student to know I had somewhere to go to regardless of the issue. We all like to think we’re adults at 18 coming to university, but I needed that support.
I remember going to the campus and I had this feeling that this was like home for me.
What do you remember about your first few weeks at uni?
I remember being really nervous at the induction lecture because I didn’t know anyone apart from my new flatmates and they weren’t on my course. I soon realised that we were all in the same boat and then felt okay. There was loads happening around the campus not just in the first few weeks but all through the first term and there were lots of opportunities to meet people.
What was student life like in terms of your course and the social side of things?
I lived in halls in the first year and we all helped each other out, giving each other moral support. Our student flat was above a Wetherspoons pub, so that was great for nights out. I also joined the Maths Society and it was so much fun solving problems and getting advice from other students who were not in the same year as me. It was also great for networking.
What do you miss most about the University of Greenwich?
I definitely miss the people – the friends I made and my lecturers. Tony Mann was my favourite, and I still follow him on LinkedIn. For me, what makes the University of Greenwich special is that they pick such great people – not just as students but support staff and lecturers.
For me, what makes the University of Greenwich special is that they pick such great people – not just as students but support staff and lecturers.
Are you still in contact with anyone from your university days?
We catch up on rare occasions and there are a couple of folks that I lived with or who were on my course that I regularly speak to. We spoke recently remembering the things we did at university, like the first time we cooked chicken and overdid it to the point where it was dry and pretty horrible.
What advice would you give to someone starting at the University of Greenwich this September?
Just embrace as much of it as you can. Make the most of all the opportunities like joining societies and volunteering. One of my regrets is that I didn’t get to be a volunteer while they were filming Thor 2 on Greenwich Campus. I have a distinct memory of walking past Chris Hemsworth in full costume after a statistics lecture. It was so cool.
I have a distinct memory of walking past Chris Hemsworth in full costume after a statistics lecture. It was so cool.
