Employability & Skills

What skills will you develop at Goldsmiths? How will your time here equip you for a successful career?

Did you know that 60% of the UK's leaders – including people at the top of their professions in the creative industries and professional services organisations – have humanities, arts or social sciences degrees? That's because studying a degree in these areas will help you develop the transferable skills that are sought after by a variety of employers: things like self-motivation, communication skills and creative thinking.

At Goldsmiths we work hard to make sure that the skills you develop here are relevant, that your talents are supported, and that your career motivation is nurtured. One of our strengths lies in our promotion of enterprise and entrepreneurship – we’ll encourage you to look at things in creative ways, and to take a flexible approach to problem solving. This ability to identify and maximise inventive new opportunities means that you’ll be equipped to face the challenging demands of post-university employment.

Graduating students leave Goldsmiths as confident, independent, passionate, engaged members of society who have a sense of possibility and optimism about the future, and the practical skills needed to initiate change.

According to data collated by Unistats, the definitive UK university guide, Goldsmiths’ English undergraduate students attain the highest-paid jobs upon graduation. Additionally, Goldsmiths is in the top three higher education institutions for highest-paid jobs for History and Psychology undergraduates.

We've had careers success in highly competitive sectors too; less than two months after finishing, all eight of the graduates from the MSc in Computer Games and Entertainment (2010-11) have secured good positions in games studios or technology/graphics companies (including one self-starter/entrepreneur).

Goldsmiths graduates explain how studying here equipped them for their futures and careers

The skills you'll develop

All of our programmes aim to provide you with the skills and competencies that are valued by employers. These include:

• Problem-solving skills - critical & analytical skills, adaptability, flexibility, numeracy & literacy, creativity
• Business/entrepreneurial skills - commercial awareness, computer literacy, networking skills, initiative, negotiation skills
• Interpersonal skills - teamwork, leadership skills, diplomacy, social skills, empathy
• Intrapersonal skills - planning & organisational skills, time management, reflection, self-motivation, insight
• Communication skills - articulacy, presentation skills, networking, self-marketing, persuasiveness, emotional intelligence

In addition, the student experience at Goldsmiths will improve your cultural awareness, and help you to develop a global outlook. You’ll be meeting and working with students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds, and will be able to learn from their varying experiences and perspectives. You’ll develop lasting international friendships and a network of contacts that could enhance your future life and career.

Support for the future

As a Goldsmiths student you’ll also benefit from:

• The facilities and expertise of the Goldsmiths Careers Service
• Goldsmiths Learning Enhancement Unit (GLEU), which works to support the continued development of teaching staff and their practice.
• Personal development opportunities including the Gold Award, which can help you recognise and develop the skills that employers are looking for
• A dedicated Work Placements team connecting students and our academic departments with relevant companies and workplaces, to gain essential hands-on experience
• Invaluable work experience through the volunteering opportunities organised and supported by the Students’ Union
• Professional accreditation on completion of some of our degrees
• Workshop programmes offered by our Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship, which help develop enterprise and entrepreneurial skills and encourage you to think creatively about your future.

Our graduates go on to a wide variety of careers – you’ll find details of these in our online prospectus entries.