During my time at College, I built a new group of friends, and it was a nice change of pace from school. Having fewer classes in subjects that I was interested in made a real difference and I found I could balance my workload and complete coursework on time, never missing a deadline.
Sadly, my College experience was massively interrupted by the first lockdown during the pandemic, and we never did get to return for the summer term. Fortunately for me, the majority of my courses were BTECs so I knew two of my grades before they arrived, but other students weren’t so fortunate.
Leaving College, I said to myself that I would work now and build a career, so I could have some more fun later. The idea was to have a career behind me, rather than living pay cheque to pay cheque, so that I would have a stable income but could also chase acting opportunities and maybe find my breakout role. I’ve come to realise it’s a great hobby and I have met some dear friends and made wonderful memories through it, but chasing it as a career felt increasingly pointless.
During the lockdowns, I stepped into a full-time role through my Saturday job, because a colleague was immuno-compromised. Together we worked hard to support the local community as best we could, while keeping everyone safe. Prior to that, I’d applied to a variety of apprenticeships. Most rejected my application but one took me seriously and I was offered an apprenticeship with M&S. The course was difficult and stepping into a more executive role with a new employer was even harder, but I completed my apprenticeship course and was quickly signed off as a manager.
From M&S, I moved to Crew Clothing and worked as an internal recruiter but was made redundant after my first year. This was tough but I knew it wasn’t personal and just made the best of a bad situation. Fortunately, I found a client services job with firm of surveyors and also worked as a weekend Viewings Assistant for an estate agency before being headhunted by a new business support company.
I then worked as the HR Manager at JAMY Business Support, where I combined my passion for people with the ever-evolving world of surveying. This industry is constantly innovating, and there was always something new to dive into. While I explored different aspects of the business, I was drawn to the HR role because I thrive on problem-solving and creating an environment where people can succeed. Helping others navigate challenges and grow is what drives me every day.
When redundancy came knocking once more, I could have jumped into another role within the property industry but decided to take a step back and really think. When I reflected on things, I realised that I had ‘fallen’ into the property and surveying industry and that if I had an opportunity to start again, property wasn’t where I really wanted to be. So instead, I turned back to an old flame: When I was leaving school, despite my own horrible experience, I wanted to become a teacher. It was what I did my year 10 work experience in and it was my plan for after College. However, I wasn’t keen to go to university, which is why I left education behind and moved to retail.
Now that I am in a more stable position, I can rekindle this old flame. The government currently offer the Get Into Teaching scheme and there is an apprenticeship scheme for those that did not go to university. The requirements are tough but I’m giving it a go. I was too late to be considered for the 2025/2026 academic year, so I’m building up my CV ready to apply in 2026/2027. I sought out an administration role at a school that would enable me to get some experience working directly with children. The school – The Royal Albert and Alexandra – have opportunities to train with them, so I’m really hoping I’ve backed the right horse!
To me, work/life balance is key and outside of work, I’m still very active in my local amateur theatre group, The Chipstead Players. I’ve been performing since I was about 11 or 12 and have become more involved in all aspects of running the theatre over this time. I work with the theatre’s Youth Panel, which encourages young people to join and make the theatre a more inclusive space. And in 2024, I was part of the committee organising the celebrations for the theatre’s 100th anniversary and got to write and direct a new play for the occasion.
I’d say to any College student, make your own choices and make them for you. Whatever you do next, make sure that you are doing it because you want to do it, not just because your peers are. Doing something different from everyone else can be tough and doing it alone can be even tougher, but you’ll look back on your decisions with regret if they weren’t the right ones for you.
My path to where I am today has not been easy, and I’d prefer to not repeat some of the mistakes I’ve made along the way. Nonetheless, I take comfort in knowing that I decided this path for myself.
Bradley Adams
Reigate College: 2018-2020
Higher education: Level 4 apprenticeship in Retail Business Management with Babington while working at M&S
Currently: Co-Curricular, Trips & Boarding Assistant, The Royal Albert and Alexandra School
