Business Management grad to construction sector: Marcus Rogers' career story

Posted on: 9 April 2025 in Where are they now?

Marcus Rogers, Construction Graduate at Bellway Homes, shares his journey from studying Business Management with a Year in Industry to entering the construction sector. He discusses the value of gaining workplace experience and his career progression, while also offering advice for students and graduates on standing out in the industry and navigating their early careers.

What made you choose to study at the University of Liverpool? 

For me choosing to study in Liverpool was an easy decision. Being a local there was always the temptation to move away and experience something new, but the city itself can't be beat. Obviously looking into the University played a part with it being a red brick and recently breaking into the Top 20 in the UK, but the city overall is a huge factor. It is full of different culture of characters, this paired with the nightlife and restaurants, made this an easy decision. 

What was the best thing about your Business Management with a year in industry course and how did it prepare you for your career? 

Doing three years of solid studying off the back of GCSE's and A Levels was not for me personally, having a year in industry helped with this by providing a break from the academic side of things and helping me gain valuable experience in the workplace.  Whilst studying, I found the variety of modules I had offered to me be a real positive and something I valued. Me personally, I stay away from numbers and numerical subjects, so being offered courses that were focused more of presentations or debates was a real benefit and something I saw value in.  

How did you find your year in industry within recruitment and what key skills or insights did you gain from it? 

Whilst I did not pursue the industry I had my placement in, it gave me a real leg up in following interviews for grad jobs I applied for. Having experience in a workplace and dealing with projects and tasks of your own really helped me when it came to interview questions as I felt like I was prepared to answer them based on my placement year. 

How did you find the transition from university into your current role as a Construction graduate at Bellway Homes, and what was the biggest learning curve? 

From being a student and having my attention focused more on studying and writing essays to instead having to learn about an industry I thought I would not find myself in was crazy! It certainly takes its time for something to click but eventually things begin to make sense. The biggest learning curve was realising how many teams and people all have to work together in unison in order to get a task completed. In my case, working for a house builder, seeing how all departments (Construction, Commercial, Technical, Land, Sales, Finance and Customer Care) all have huge parts to play in the finished product.

What do you enjoy most about your current job in the construction industry?

The construction industry to me so far has been brilliant. The money in it is good and the lifestyle of being on site especially when it is warm is something I find to be huge benefit for the role. I work with great people and very knowledgeable people who are always willing to teach me and help me whenever I need a hand.

How do you see your career progressing in the next five years?

Something I am extremely grateful for is that Bellway have me on a career progression track that is something they do for all graduates. The current graduate course I am on finishes after two years and when that ends you gain the qualifications to be an Assistant Site Manager. I believe three years after this; I'd be a qualified site manager hopefully winning some awards along the way would be my plan.

What are the biggest changes or trends you see shaping the construction industry in the future?

The biggest thing at this moment in time is the new regulations regarding Stamp Duty - this has the younger generation more put off to buying houses. Paired with this, I think seeing the rise of the younger generation moving from the UK and seeing more value in not having savings and instead spending more money living their life could have an effect with people not wanting to be tied down to a mortgage. This is something I relate to; I won't be able to afford my own house for years but I am not sure if I'll want to own a house and instead opt to move around more and live my life more.

For students and graduates looking to follow a similar path, what steps would you recommend standing out in the industry?

Having some sort of industry knowledge is paramount I believe. Just having key buzzwords that you can throw out in an interview to show you have done some research can really make you stand out. I done this by doing some quick research regarding qualifications site managers should have and asking a question about this which I believed really helped my chances in an interview. This along with doing some research about the specific company you are applying for can be useful - things like big upcoming projects their working on, their attitudes towards sustainability, things like that can impress during an interview.

Finally, what are your top tips for students and recent graduates entering the workplace and starting their early careers?

A main thing would be to remember you are still young and people in the workplace know that. You are not expected to be the first one in and last one out, you are not expected to know everything before you get there and it is okay to get things wrong and mess up from time to time. No one expects you to be perfect, especially when it is going to be one of your first jobs coming out of university. Take time to still live your life but also learn from mistakes along the way would be something I'd recommend to recent graduates soon to enter the workplace.

Discover Business Management at the University of Liverpool.