Hilary Capon

Hilary uses the intellectual, analytical and technical skills honed from studying Classics and History daily in her public sector management role.

I loved social sciences at school, particularly history and classics. It helped that I was lucky enough to have great teachers who really inspired me. By the time I finished high school I wasn't ready to let go of studying the ancient world.

I started out doing a conjoint degree with Law (as do a lot of people!). I finished my second year and thought, “Hang on, this is interesting, but I don't really think I want to ‘do law' beyond university.” I learned a lot from the courses I did, but it didn't inspire any passion in me. It was a good lesson for me — it's okay to try something out, decide it's not for you but still value the experience.

I worked at the University in a couple of roles while studying—enrolment assistant, tutoring, and as a residential advisor. It was these roles that made me realise I loved work that allowed me to help others, and that I had a knack for advising, then supporting students to put their decisions into action. So, when I finished studying, my first role was a Student Advisor at the Te Wāhanga Aronia—Wellington Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, where I helped students plan their studies every day. At the time I was the youngest Student Advisor, and I think students appreciated talking to someone who knew what they were going through.

I now work at the Ministry of Education, as the Manager of Infrastructure Investment. I joined through the Graduate Policy Analyst programme, which is how I found myself in the world of property and asset investment. I've been here five years now, but my job has evolved every single year.

My job is to ensure that the Ministry's property and digital infrastructure gets the investment it needs to deliver equitable, excellent education outcomes for ākonga (students) across New Zealand. It's also important that every funding decision gets the right level of due diligence. My day can involve supporting investment programmes, developing advice for our governance groups, and advising senior leaders. Since I've become a manager, it’s also included commissioning work from my staff and supporting their outputs and development. Plus, emails—lots of emails!

One of the best parts of my job is getting to write reports and briefings. I love taking complex, unfamiliar concepts and figuring out how to convey them to a variety of audiences.

People often ask “…but how do you use your BA subject in a real job?”. I use mine daily. I am in a constant cycle of discovery, followed up by evaluating information, analysing options, and synthesising recommendations into simple, easy-to-follow advice. One of my History professors was a real stickler for structure and word choice, and he taught me the value of active writing and specificity. I think of him every time I spot a passive verb!

While nobody has ever asked me to analyse a Greek vase in the workplace, my time at university gave me the foundations I needed for my career. Once you're in the workforce, you will find yourself in situations with unfamiliar content all the time. Confidence should come from recognising the skills you have developed at university are so transferrable that you can apply them no matter where you are.

Rather than focussing on what other people are expecting of you, think a step beyond: what are they not expecting, that I can do, which will add value or enhance the overall outcome? Don't wait for someone to ask you to do something, be proactive and you will be surprised by the opportunities you'll be presented with.