“Really fun, intense weekend followed by an hour of playing games… everyone was so friendly… it was a great atmosphere to be a part of”

“It’s definitely going to give me something to talk about at the interview that I have this week”

“Enjoyed the whole event and learnt a lot from the process”

This week we’re catching up on the hugely successful term that our Enterprise team here at Careers have had!

Reviews from participants in Game Jam

This week we’re catching up on the huge success that our Enterprise team in Careers have enjoyed this term. We’ll be reviewing Game Jam, a competition to produce a game in teams over a weekend, and the networking event Women in Business and Leadership, before looking to what Enterprise has in store for you in future.

With Enterprise events growing more popular term by term and being acknowledged by our Registrar as part of what makes York great, if you haven’t a clue who they are now is the time to find out and make the most of yourself!

Game Jam

Last weekend 35 game enthusiasts (made up of students, staff and external supporters) came along to spend their time rapidly writing code to create their very own video game. Over the 48 hours given for the task, the 10 teams had to create a game to fit the theme “’the Grand Départ” announced at the launch on Friday evening.

The originality and inventiveness of the contributions was astounding. From a 3D space mission to catching rogue bicycle wheels and a prison escape adventure, the entries showed  impressive levels of creativity and technical ability. One participant reflected on this afterwards, saying that the weekend had given them “better programming skills, improved teamwork skills [and] something interesting to talk about at interview”.

The final games were judged by the participants who voted to decide upon the winner amongst themselves after enjoying playing their competitors’ games on the Sunday afternoon. The winning game was “Connor’s Departure”, which involved you trying to dodge cyclists to make your escape. The winners, Sam Devlin and James William, were awarded £100, and plan to develop their game further.

Women in Business and Leadership

Women in Business and Leadership on Tuesday 12 November gave current students the chance to speak with female York alumni who have high-flying careers and who have distinguished themselves in their chosen field.

The evening started off with a panel discussion led by Jane Howson (Chief Executive of NORSACA), Kate Bufton (Audience Development Specialist for Google), Sophie Jewett (Managing Director at The York Cocoa House), Trish Lorimer (Wine Buyer for Morrisons), and Cara Towers (Assistant Manager at EY).

These women prompted a thought-provoking and stimulating discussion with their audience, stressing these messages for female leaders of the future:

• Have confidence in yourself and your abilities;
• What did you do? When trying to demonstrate your potential leadership abilities, don’t fall into the trap that females sometimes do of always using, ‘we did this…’ rather than focussing on the ‘I’;
• Don’t be afraid to take credit for your achievements;
• When faced with a choice, follow your passion. Although if you don’t know what your passion is yet, don’t panic! Try your hand at a job you’re interested in and through time you’ll find your strengths and interests;
• It’s natural to feel out of your depth sometimes in a role, but instead of thinking your role models are on an unattainable level, take the opportunity to learn from them. Watch them and emulate the things you admire in them!

The evening was a huge success and very inspiring for attendees, who had the opportunity to network with the panel and extra participants following the panel discussion. The other supporters of the event who attended to speak to students were Milana Knezevic (Editorial Assistant at the Index on Censorship), Jordan Steer (Owner of Bambridge Accountants), Olivia Phalp (Student Recruitment Officer with EY) and Careers’ own director, Liz Smith.

This exciting event benefitted from a real buzz, with participants asking very pertinent questions and receiving motivation from women who understand the difficulties involved with trying to get ahead in business and leadership.

Enterprise’s upcoming events

If you liked the sound of those events, why not come along to our Christmas Market on Wednesday 27 November in James Hall from 11-3pm! It’s the perfect opportunity to support other enterprising students at York and get some shopping done before Christmas!

Vikki Touzel, Graduate Intern, Careers