I have been pretty M.I.A ever since I wrote 'The Reality Of Being A Uni Dropout'. So in case you wondered - life does continue when you decide to 'dropout' of University.
There is a terrible stigma attached to people who drop out of University. They are almost seen as failures to those around them. I think some people deemed me clinically insane when I decided to drop out after one week.. I mean, I know I didn't give it a massive whirl but if it ain't right, it ain't right. I was insanely lost when I left University. I didn't know which direction I was going other than what seemed to be down. The options that are given to people in schools are 'uni' or 'uni' or....oh sorry there isn't another option it's just Uni. With this is mind - what the heck was I supposed to do but to wonder if I'd made a massive mistake?!
I knew that I wasn't alone. Statistics showed that there were dropouts here there and everywhere. I almost felt like I needed to join a dropout group chat just for moral support. I was back to the drawing board. I looked into more University courses (purely because that's all that exists, right?) and I also looked into getting thrown into work and apprenticeships.
When I looked into other University options I cried into my desktop..'Not this again', I thought to myself as I scrolled through various courses that bored me to my core.
Most of the jobs that I was interested in required a degree *shock*. This triggered further feelings of doubt..could I get a job without a degree?
Finally, I researched apprenticeships.
My understanding of apprenticeships prior to research was that they were for the less academically inclined and were mainly for labour trades. I knew I didn't want to be an electrician but a career in plumbing tickled my fancy...in another universe...
It took me a while but I stumbled across a large media company's website advertising for apprentice positions. I was shocked. I didn't even know that the media industry did apprenticeships, let alone one of the world's most popular TV media providers. I started scrolling further through the possibilities and options for the types of apprenticeships that were available. I found one in the digital and marketing sector. It looked perfect. The job description, the company I'd be working for and the invaluable opportunities and contacts that I would be making in the meantime were amazing. It was a creative role in an industry that has always been my other main passion other than fashion.
So I clicked apply and begun my application.
Months went by and I'd heard nothing back. In the meantime I was still trying to find a standard 9-5 to keep me sane but everything seemed difficult. I ended up doing jobs that I hated and I felt like Alice falling down the rabbit hole - finding herself drowning in her own tears. It was a tough little segment of my life. I knew I couldn't continue floundering around and I felt like I had no choice but to flounder. I felt like I was giving but getting nothing back.
Until I got an e-mail inviting me for a workshop day. Following the hardcore workshop day (which was full of challenging yet fun tasks), I got an e-mail asking me to attend an interview. A couple of hours after my interview, I got a phone call to say that I got the job.
I was absolutely overjoyed.
All my worries were lifted off my shoulders.
I no longer felt like a failure. Getting my apprenticeship position was harder than getting into University. The number of applications they had were in their thousands per spot.
I finally feel proud to say what I'm doing with my life. I feel a sense of achievement when I say where I work and what I do. I also feel excited about my future instead of petrified that I was destined for a fast food chain (not that there's anything wrong with that career path but boxing fried chicken isn't for me).
I have been doing my apprenticeship since September and I love it.
It is hard work and it's diverse. I don't have a 'daily schedule' because hello, it's a creative industry and there's something different everyday. The apprenticeship suits me wonderfully. It's a mixture of learning blocks and work time so I get to do the two things I love most. I'm making amazing contacts and getting to meet some incredibly talented people. I've made new friends and found new skills to develop.
I think a lot of 'bad vibes' surround apprenticeships and the opinions that people have of them are often pretty low. I hate to raise my hand and say that I'm guilty in thinking they were just designed for people who 'didn't want to go to Uni' or alternatively who couldn't go. When asked to describe apprentices a lot of people say 'lazy'. Some people don't even know what they are. Apprenticeships are basically a paid learning/work experience. You are employed by a company and you work for them, using your skills and learning new ones to complete daily tasks. In my case, the tasks are media based and are generally all things digital and marketing. That's a good thing because it's what I applied for. My job is a win-win situation because I get paid to learn whereas in University you pay a good buck of your own/borrowed money to be there.
I'm sure that I'll be chatting some more about my apprenticeship in the future because it's what I'm living and breathing from 9-5. Dropping out of University was so far the best thing I've ever done in my life. It saved me three years of enduring an educational path that I didn't want to do and has opened doors to opportunities that are more suited to me.
But, for now, I bid you farewell as my update is over. I'm doing an apprenticeship in a cool and funky place, meeting cool and jazzy people and having a cool and snazzy time.
Have you cringed to death at my purposeful use of cool? Me too.
Goodbye.
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