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Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

 

The ‘Cake and Careers’ seminars began in 2009/10 following a request from the Vice Chancellor that WiSETI offer something specifically targeted at PhD students and Postdocs. The speakers are drawn from diverse sectors, e.g. science policy, industry and academia, and who are only a few career stages ahead of the audience. The aim of the sessions is to give the audience information about different careers options available to them and information about the work involved in these fields, including details about specific jobs, what is appealing about them and why the speakers chose their particular role. The seminars conclude with a networking session

For more information on these seminars please email us at: equality@admin.cam.ac.uk

For details on the next cake and careers event please visit the E&D events pages

Recent Cake & Careers Events

  • December 2012 West Cambridge Site, for researchers in Physical Sciences.
  • June 2013, Addenbrookes site, for researchers in clinical medicine and the biosciences.
  • December 2013, Downing site, for researchers in the School of Biological Sciences

Drawn from a range of backgrounds including academia, industry and technology transfer, the speakers provided insights into their backgrounds and career choices and also highlighted some of the career options available to the audience. The speakers also discussed key factors – such as the ability to network – which had helped them advance in their respective fields. Juggling research, motherhood and career breaks, they were able to present a realistic perspective of their sectors and the expectations and achievements in their respective roles.

The December 2012 and 2013 events were supported by the University of Cambridge’s Careers Service, and the podcasts can be accessed by logging in with your Raven details.

 

        “The chance to chat over cake and tea was really good, as it is always intimidating to ask questions in front of a big audience, particularly personal ones.”

        “I found it very useful to hear about the personal experiences of all the speakers.”

 

Top tips from the speakers:

  • ‘You can't control the little chances that come up, but you can control what you do about them.’
  • "There's always a choice: you don't have to keep doing what you're doing just because you've always done it.’
  • ‘Never say never. Be ready to make the most of opportunities’
  • ‘Cambridge is a particularly amazing place for being able to move and work between disciplines’
  • ‘Networking is one of the most vital skills you have’