Niamh Keoghan
Progressing to round two in the Irish Times debate, 2012.
I was an active member of the Literary and Debating Society.
The wonderful, close-knit campus community and the ease of communicating with all academic staff. A very supportive environment.
The need for lateral thinking and study, as well as taking elements of one discipline and applying it to another were some of the key skills I learned while at Maynooth.
It is important to read through the course content in detail. There are so many incredible courses, with small class sizes, that are so worth doing.
I moved to the UK in 2015. After some time in hospitality, I moved into a tax role in Deloitte. It wasn't a good fit for me, so in 2018 I moved to Admiral to work within their sales department. In 2020 I took on a new role as a Senior Contact Representative which involved taking on management duties in a busy department.
Making the move to Admiral and really getting to grips with a busy sales team has been a real highlight of my career so far. Stepping up to a senior role and making a start in management has been really interesting.
As well as selling to customers directly over the phone, I also manage a busy team providing feedback and training to them, while sharing best practice with the management team.
Balancing all my different tasks and roles at once!
Admiral is a large employer in South Wales and therefore kept a close eye on entry level positions.
Be flexible, but don't be afraid to be discerning. You'll learn a lot in any entry level role, and sometimes that is a much better option than a dedicated graduate pathway. You can put your degree skills to good use in any area and progress just as well. You never know where you'll end up, so be adventurous!