College was a fleeting but shaping time for me initiating the journey of who I want to be. Those two years gave me the opportunity to begin to expand my perspectives and connect to people, learning in ways that influenced my approaches thereafter. I studied three subjects, all with valuable life lessons. English taught me to question and critically analyse anything and everything and experience the beauty of expression through artistry. Biology taught me to approach learning with a genuine curiosity, and that good evidence is powerful in a world full of quick, false information. Chemistry (my hardest subject) taught me to build my resilience and be kind to myself when there were setbacks.

At College I was a Student Mentor. This gave me the opportunity to practice my communication, active listening and empathy skills that I have used and built on in other roles since. I really enjoyed being a part of the college community and got to meet some wonderful students. This was also a great experience to talk about when I applied to other support roles like in charities or for my placement. I also took part in other clubs such as knitting and yoga which showed me the importance of having a work-life balance from early on!

I went straight into my degree from College, studying Psychology at Exeter. Alongside this, I volunteered as a community chat supporter at a charity for young people’s mental health called The Mix. And I also volunteer as a peer supporter and youth volunteer at a charity for LGBTQIA+ people called Rainbow Mind. I got this after contacting them with a speculative application, meaning they weren’t advertising a role, I just emailed and asked if they wanted some free help!

Alongside helping to run one of the Rainbow Mind services, I had the opportunity to support the charity director to set up a youth committee of incredible young people who meet to discuss next steps for the charity. This is something I am immensely proud of being a part of and has shown me that I would love to continue to do collaborative, creative, community-based projects. Similarly, at The Mix I asked if I could write an article for their website on a LGBTQIA+ topic, and they said yes! Now, I have written four articles for them and plan to do more. If there is something that interests you, just ask to get involved, it can be a lot of fun and very rewarding.

I have also packed my time at uni with lots of part-time jobs, such as working at a children’s holiday camp, in a council, on a paid research project and most recently, a valuable (and paid) job working in the careers zone at my uni. During my internship there, I ran workshops for undergraduates, liaised with the faculty and students, did lots of spreadsheet stuff (useful for the working world), and co-coordinated a project week on global issues. I wouldn’t have been able to get that internship, or my placement now, if it wasn’t for my voluntary experience.

Volunteering is an incredible way to get experience, because you are giving your time for free, so I have found people are generally very willing to let you try out different things. In the careers zone, repeatedly I heard students getting caught up in only wanting to work if they are getting money back (and I do understand the need for paid work). But if you have even one hour free per week to volunteer somewhere, that could be the difference between you getting your dream paid job, or not!

From trying out lots of different working environments and roles, my biggest lesson has been that a ‘no’ is just as good as a ‘yes’. By that I mean that if you work somewhere and hate it, great, that means I have learnt I don’t want to do that kind of thing in the future. That wasn’t a wasted experience, but rather a potential time-saver for future me to not go into a long-term career I don’t want. I used to be passionate about working in mental health and was set on clinical psychology. But then I did more community work in charities and learnt about other areas that interest me. Now my main passions are on the intersections of wellbeing with identity, social background, politics and human development. I wouldn’t have known about these areas if I hadn’t put myself in different environments and met other people to find that out.

My year-long placement is in the Psychology team of the NHS Sussex Gender Service, between my second and third year of my degree. It’s giving me practical experience of applying academic learning to real people and issues. And I am grateful to be immersed in a service that is holistic in its approach to providing gender-affirming care to trans and non-binary people. I get to work with psychologists, voice therapists, GPs, and specialist nurses, and to find out more about psychology within the NHS.

I am doing a degree in a subject I did not study at A Level. And I will probably do a job after I graduate that isn’t directly related to my degree. Life is squiggly in all that it throws at us, and so are careers. Explore, learn, create, connect, have an adventure! Let go of expectations and limitations. You are young and capable of anything that you put your mind to if you work hard and approach it with genuine enthusiasm. And if you fear networking or events (like I used to) remember this: under all the hierarchy and labels people have, everyone is simply human and at that fundamental level, you can talk to anyone.

Lilia Dobson
Reigate College: 2021-2023
Higher education: BSc Psychology with Placement Year, University of Exeter