Liverpool 2026 cohort comes to a close

On 14 July 2026, we gathered for our final Prosper cohort session in the delightfully air-conditioned lecture theatre of the Ashton Building. 

The session provided an opportunity for cohort members to reflect on how far they have come over the past six months, celebrate their achievements, and consider how they will continue to prioritise their career development once the structure and support of the cohort comes to an end. We also invited participants to share the practical strategies they have used to overcome common career development challenges, helping to foster peer learning and the exchange of ideas. 

Their insights were too valuable not to share. 

➜ Take a moment to note down what achievement/s, growth or aspect of your career development from the past six months you’re most proud of.

When reflecting on the past six months, cohort members commonly highlighted the following achievements: 

• Prioritising their career development 
• Deepening their understanding of their own career development and what they want (their values) 
• Overcoming feeling daunted by career development 
• Growing their network/s 

➜ Take a few minutes to reflect on anything that you are finding a barrier stopping you engaging with your career development. Once you've done this, take a look at the suggestions below to see which strategies might help you overcome these barriers. 

Concern: Can't find the time to focus on my career development 

Suggested solutions:

• Try time blocking
• Build up the habit by allocating a small chunk of time for your career development and anchoring it to something you already always do 
• Try talking to others about how they do it 
• Plan what you are going to focus the time on (if you’re doing some self-directed career development). Making a list of your career development priorities could be the thing you do in your first block of time. 

Concern: I'm not clear about what my next career step is, I'm feeling unable to make a decision 

Suggested solutions:

• Remember that your next career step doesn’t have to be life-changing – take the pressure off 
• Ask clarifying questions to break things into manageable steps [link to values what’s important] 
• Do a skills audit, STAR or values activity
• Have a chat with peers and your PI 
• Don’t try to please your past self at the expense of your future self

Concern: Worrying is stopping me from making the most of my career development opportunities

Suggested solutions:

• Try doing small things regularly so it doesn’t become a big, scary seeming thing 
• Get out of your comfort zone, try things that make you feel a little uncomfortable 
• Do a skills audit it’ll help you see how very capable you are 

Concern: How do I keep myself motivated and accountable? 

Suggested solutions:

• Set trigger points and plan B’s
• Build up habits and remember to pause to reflect on your progress periodically, [do we have a link to win watch?!] 
• Seek out an accountability buddy who is also focussed on their career development or even a network of peers to do this 
• Set timelines for yourself