Stepping Away: Emilia

Posted on: 2 September 2025 by Richard Finch in Class of 2024

Emilia Atkinson is a Class of 2024 Psychology graduate who is now working for UK Tote Group as a Junior BI Analyst.

How did you hear about your role and why did you decide to apply for it?

I came across my current role on LinkedIn. I really enjoyed the statistics modules across my degree course, so thought that data and analytics could be a route I would like to go down. With my degree not being centred around data/analysis, my role as a junior allows me to learn on the job and seek insight from colleagues who have worked in the industry for years.

How did you get to where you are now?

During the recruitment process for my job, I was able to pull upon the opportunities that I had throughout my degree course. Being in an analytical role, I was able to pinpoint some experience across my dissertation research project, as well as using the projects completed with my tutor group as evidence of effective team working. My non-academic experiences, such as taking on the mental health first aid course were also critical mentions in my interview.

I am where I am now because of rejection. The job I initially went for was something I had a tunnel vision on and didn’t really entertain other opportunities. I found that the rejection from this role allowed me to consider other career paths and has landed me with a job with opportunities I could only dream of as a new graduate.

Your favourite experience as part of your current role?

I work for a betting company. Within my first couple of months, I was given a project of developing a live report which displayed bet stakes live across the Cheltenham festival period. As a new employee, the project was huge for me but was glad that my colleagues and managers trusted me enough to take charge of it and received great feedback from some executive directors within the business.

The most challenging part of your graduate journey?

The hardest part of post-graduation for me was weighing up career options. Throughout my degree, I was unsure on what industry I wanted to go into and often found myself worrying over it. The job market at the minute is extremely competitive, so jobs I felt compelled by were few and far between. My advice for those who are unsure is to get a head start and get researching during your degree! This will allow you to reflect on your own enjoyments and abilities and will allow you to identify some industry paths ready for post-graduation.

What's your #1 piece of advice for future grads?

Rejection is redirection! It can be disheartening when getting rejected from jobs as a new graduate, especially when trying to enter your first professional role, but all rejections will lead you to the right opportunity, so don’t panic and keep working hard!

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