I look back at my time in College very fondly, taking my first big steps towards independence and gaining freedoms I hadn’t had to that point. College gave me the chance to really develop as a person, meet people from other schools I may not have otherwise spoken to, building my confidence working in new environments and learning new skills to prepare me for my next steps in life.
After College I took a year out to work in a retail job – not necessarily in my career path of choice but beneficial to keep moving forward and gain experience. Applying and interviewing for apprenticeships in the IT industry was challenging and in the end with UCAS deadlines fast approaching, I decided on a Computer Networks Degree at the University of Portsmouth.
University was a phenomenal experience and one I would highly recommend to anyone. While my goal was to go down the apprenticeship route, something I quickly learned (and which has been a reoccurring theme in my life so far!) is to be flexible as life can be unpredictable at times. University did wonders for my confidence, my intelligence, my ability to work to deadlines while having a social life as well as my social skills. Above all, it helped me hone my thoughts for my future after formal education.
My industrial placement year as a Business Analyst with Elanco Animal Health was a formative one and the experience I gained improved my work ethic, my ability to focus on my studies in my final year at uni, which ultimately helped me secure a First.
After graduating, I made a rather leftfield decision to move 600 miles north to Aberdeen in Scotland as I’d landed a spot on an MSc Business and Management course. I felt it was important while I’m still young to try something a bit ‘out there’ and move completely out of my comfort zone. My big mistake here was that beyond the degree, I had no further plans in place. I had no job lined up and had to make very quick decisions on accommodation. I ended up turning the MSc down due to my lack of preparedness, especially around money, and instead focused on starting my career in IT. Initially, I worked in a cinema to pay my bills while applying for IT jobs and, after several months landed a position working in IT Support at a law firm – great, industry relevant experience but not what I wanted for my longer-term future. I then secured a new role as a Business Systems Analyst for an oil and gas company, gaining further invaluable experience before signing up to a recruitment consultancy to help me find a new IT job.
As luck would have it, my recruitment consultant asked if I’d like to interview for a job as a Recruitment Consultant in their IT specialism and the rest is history!
So, my job now is to support IT professionals with their job search. Providing relevant vacancy details, CV and interview support, and general career advice on how to get from A to B. Beyond the day-to-day job, I attend a lot of career fairs, give talks at the local universities to provide advice on what to do when students graduate, and give internal presentations to teach my colleagues about AI to keep us all up-to-date as well as keep my own personal interest in IT going!
I thoroughly enjoy my job as a Recruitment Consultant: I get a lot of satisfaction from supporting people in making positive choices with their careers, also it has been brilliant for my interpersonal skills as I speak with new people every single day!
I wish I had known that in life, there are very few straight lines. My educational experiences, life experiences and career experiences have all taken twists and turns that I could never have predicted and it’s better to be flexible than to try to force yourself down a career path that isn’t making you happy.
My advice would be to try new things while you’re at the beginning of your career. Be eager and enthusiastic about learning new technical disciplines even if it’s outside of your ideal career path. Self-teaching is also a wonderful way to spruce up your CV so if you can do some courses online or show that you have an interest in technology beyond your career that will do wonders.
Reigate College: 2014-2016
Higher Education: BSc Computer Networks, University of Portsmouth
Currently: Senior IT Recruitment Consultant, TMM
