Don’t believe the hype! It’s not all doom and gloom in the job market. You don’t need to intern for free and exist on crisp sandwiches for five years to snag your first paid gig. You just need to think beyond the ordinary and enter a growth industry with kickass job prospects. The Debrief speaks to three young women who are making waves in growth sectors, recession-proof industries or jobs that have traditionally been dominated by men. Your career less ordinary starts right here…
The Ethical Hacker
Gillian Chalmers, 27, is an ethical hacker and president of the Abertay Ethical Hacking Society at Abertay University, Dundee
‘In a nutshell, ethical hackers do what hackers would do – they find and exploit security lapses. But the difference is that we’re attacking the system in order to tell the client where their security problems lie. Digital security is one of the biggest growth areas, and I know that Infosec companies are actively looking for more women in the industry. We’re still disappointingly underrepresented. In my fourth year class at uni, there were only two girls. But I’d recommend it wholeheartedly: it’s fun, it’s challenging, you work as part of a smart team, and starting salaries for graduates vary between £24,000 and £30,000. And this is one of the few industries where getting a job isn’t proving difficult. Out of 70 graduates last year, only one student didn’t find a job right away.
Ever since I was little, I would play with something until it broke – and then work out how to fix it. And that’s pretty much what hacking is – you play, you break something, you investigate how to stop it breaking again. I’ve always loved computers plus, lifestyle-wise, it’s a good industry. For the first few months, you’ll work at the HQ of an Infosec company – such as NCC Digital, NWR or Mandalorian – but later there can be flexibility. You can travel and do site visits, or you can be based at home and work your own hours. I’d definitely recommend a career in ethical hacking to young women – just be prepared for a serious lack of eye contact from the guys on your course. It’s not because they hate you – they’re just not that comfortable with girls. Yet.’
Need To Know: Abertay University, Dundee, offer four-year degrees in Ethical Hacking. For more information, visit the British Computer Society
The Plumber
*Petra O’Brien, 36, works for Stopcocks Women Plumbers and lives in Stockwell, London. *
‘I worked in a whole load of different jobs before I discovered plumbing – I was a barmaid, I worked in an old people’s home, I worked as an auxiliary nurse and an interpreter. Now I really wish I’d trained as a plumber when I was 19. I’ve been a plumber and worked for Stopcocks Women Plumbers for four years now, and it’s a brilliant job for women. For a start, it’s really satisfying helping people out. They have a problem they’re stressed about – a broken shower or faulty tap – and I show up and help them. At the end of my working day, I know I’ve improved people's lives. That’s priceless – not all jobs give you that. Also, a lot of people have had a really bad experience with tradespeople – they’ve been ripped off by plumbers (often male) in the past – and they’re suspicious, so it feels good to do my bit restoring the public’s faith in the industry and reassuring people that we’re not crooked!
And you really have the opportunity to make the job what you want. I’m currently taking a Gas Safe course so that I can offer that service, and I get to do a bit of everything, such as plastering and tiling. You also get to fix your own hours – I have two kids, so I can fit my working life around them. I’m my own boss – there’s nobody telling me I need to be at work at 8am or stay until 7pm. I charge £55 for the first hour, £45 thereafter – and I pride myself on being fair and honest. With my Gas Safe certificate, I’m hoping to make in the region of £35,000-£40,000 – and honestly, some days I enjoy my job so much that it really doesn’t feel like work at all.’
*Need To Know: All Stopcocks Women Plumbers are self-employed and work for themselves. Visit the site to find out about training and work opportunities. *
The Hair Stylist
Lotte O’Shea, 24 is a junior stylist at the George Northwood Salon in London
'People were surprised at first when I told them that I wanted to go into hairdressing, because I’d done my A-levels. This is pretty annoying – to me, hairdressing is an aspirational, fun job with really good prospects. OK, if you start out at a local salon, you’ll be on a minimum wage – £18,000 is probably an average – but it’s a myth that we’re all paid peanuts. For example, as a senior stylist you take home 40% of the cost of a cut; the rest goes to the salon for their overheads. You can easily do 10 cuts a day at £150 a time – but equally you can go part-time and just do two or three cuts to fit in with your family or lifestyle. Plus, there are so many opportunities to build your career, boost your profile and take it further.
'One of the things I love about it is that you have to be your own manager, your own career advisor. If you’re smart and work hard, get trained up, build your client base and aim to work in a top city salon, you can easily be earning mid-20s, when you’re in your mid-20s! You’ve also got the option of session work, doing shoots for beauty and fashion magazines, which really boosts your profile – as does social media, which anyone can do. For example, I have a Tumblr site, where people can see snaps from celebrity photoshoots, fashion shows, and anything else I’ve been up to. Most importantly, hairdressing is fun. I get a total kick out of the salon atmosphere. I used to do miserable jobs when you’d really be counting the hours and they’d drag, but that never happens anymore. When the music is playing and the salon is buzzing, you can easily do a 12-hour shift without really noticing the time.'*
Need To Know: Lotte started out by taking a course the Vidal Sassoon Hair Academy
Want more tips on great jobs? Check out GoThinkBig.co.uk for straight-talking careers advice
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Picture: Rex
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.