Currently working in a 11-18 Secondary School in West Yorkshire where some of my main duties are:- Providing impartial and informed careers guidance to raise student aspirations- Co-ordinating and supporting work related learning activities- Developing links with education, business and community partners to facilitate their involvement in the CEIAG programmeMy first role as a careers advisor was across two 11-16 Secondary Schools in Leeds as Maternity cover. My main duties in that role were:- Providing impartial and informed careers guidance to raise student aspirations and ensure they were informed of all the options available to them post-16 and arranging my own appointments accordingly- Liaising with local FE providers to track student destiations and application data- Working closley with the head of year, SEN team and form tutors to ensure support was adequate for all pupils- Arranging and facilitating workshops for students on various topics such as Apprenticeships and interview techniquesI decided to complete my MA in Career Guidance and Development alongside the QCD as I am passionate about helping the most disadvantaged students reach their career goals. For my dissertation, I researched the impact of parental involvement in the career decision making of young people and the impact that guidance practitioners think this has on their practice. I studied Sociology for my undergraduate degree and took an interest in the Sociology of Education and how inequalities impacted attainment. For my dissertation, I conducted mixed methods research to find out how parental involvement was different across social classes and whether these differences impacted attainment. Sociology taught me about the barriers to learning that certain groups within society face and this is part of the reason I wanted to become a careers advisor.I have previously worked at West Yorkshire Combined Authority after graduating in 2012, mainly because I had a young child and carrying on my education was not an option straight away. I was in customer facing roles and this taught me valuable skills which I can now bring into my role as a careers advisor.