Why on earth did I want an 'ethical' career?

Feeling left behind after her friends boarded the graduate express to London, Claire McGowan takes us through the steps she took to find an 'ethical' career.

''I always knew a city job wasn't for me. I didn't know exactly what I wanted; I just knew I wasn't cut out for milkround 'networking' and canapés.'' ''Boycotting lectures as a protest against global warming? Sitting in baths of baked beans? No, I didn't do any of those things.'' ''It's a world away from the high-paid twelve-hour days of my friends: my business trips involve going out to buy the biscuits.''

Who'd have a conscience? Like me, you may feel left behind after university, watching your friends board the graduate express to London for jobs in the city, big salaries and business trips. Sometimes I'm filled with doubt: what am I doing? Why on earth did I want an 'ethical' career?

I always knew a city job wasn't for me. I didn't know exactly what I wanted; I just knew I wasn't cut out for milkround 'networking' and canapés. After college I went to China for a year and came back, slightly shell-shocked, but determined to work in the voluntary sector. Things can become quite clear when you live in a developing country.

I very quickly learned, however, that mere good intentions will get you largely nowhere career-wise. Mention that you might want to work for a charity and you will be warned off. To an extent, the scare stories are true: there are thousands of people chasing a handful of jobs. Unpaid internships are common enough, but who can afford to live for six months on no salary? Internships shouldn't be a luxury for the wealthy, but they often are.

Like most graduates, I didn't have a lot of concrete experience, and I'd been fairly quiet at university, instead of notching up CV points. Sponsored beer-a-thon? Boycotting lectures as a protest against global warming? Sitting in baths of baked beans? No, I didn't do any of those things. I started to lose confidence - it felt like I was getting nowhere, while all my friends were well on their way to buying their first island.

In the end I found an admin post in a local Oxford charity. I got through the interview with references to a distant summer temping job and, I think, a clear enthusiasm for the voluntary sector. It's a world away from the high-paid twelve-hour days of my friends: my business trips involve going out to buy the biscuits. However, I'm seeing every day what it takes to keep a charity running - after all, I'm doing a lot of the running.

It is hard, there's no doubt about that. But not impossible. Getting the first job is probably the hardest step, and to do that it's worth thinking long-term. Look at job adverts to see what skills are wanted, and then develop them, whether by taking on an admin post, volunteering, or even getting experience from the private sector.

It's also worth checking out local charities, which often have admin vacancies and won't be so inundated with applications. Use your skills as a student to read up on charity law and practice. Enthusiasm and commitment are what keep all charities alive - if you can demonstrate them, it can even outweigh experience and qualifications.

I don't think I'm alone among graduates in wanting something different. Maybe it's dissatisfaction with the rat race for city jobs, or maybe a growing realisation that changing the world is everyone's responsibility. If not you, then who else?