When you read the title of this post you may think or ask, “how do I find myself?”, or “when did I lose myself?”. It’s not a question of when did you lose yourself or how. It’s more about discovery. We as humans are like onions, I think you can see where I’m going with this… There are many layers to us all as individuals and I’ve come to realise that the different paths, or different journeys we embark on in life, unveil different layers of us.
Our apprenticeship programs are journeys. On these various journeys we discover and learn about numerous things. Our knowledge in different areas of business, the marketplace, technology and so much more widens. But in all of this, the most important thing is that we are growing and becoming better.
When I finished my A Levels in 2015, I had no idea that I would be starting an apprenticeship almost 8 years later. In those years, life took me on several journeys, and I discovered a lot about myself. I discovered that I am an introverted extrovert. I love people- which is a huge contradiction of an introvert but somehow, I have learnt that I can balance both. Working in customer service, administration, volunteering in church and working front of house taught me that I love helping people and I receive huge satisfaction in being able to help people solve their problems. I also discovered that I enjoy learning new things, software, skills, I just enjoy learning.
I want you to cast your mind back through your academic career, from the moment you started school, to picking your GCSEs to A Levels and to this point where you decided the traditional route of university is not for you. All these stages in your life are based on what you know about yourself. You grow through school and discover that you learn better by doing. This helps you find ways of learning that are better suited for you. You discover that you enjoy a particular subject more, and that leads you to choose a certain pathway to work and career. Different parts of each journey reveal you, to yourself.
I started my apprenticeship journey having a great idea of who I am as an individual. I knew that I enjoy learning and learning by doing. Along the way I discovered that my love for people and especially helping people is a huge part of who I am and cannot be neglected. I also discovered that I do not enjoy coding and I really struggled in this area. When I learnt this about myself, I decided to speak out to my line manager to help me navigate this and help me develop my career. You may be starting your apprenticeship journey and maybe you know exactly what you want out of it, what you enjoy doing. Or you may not know what you enjoy doing, or what career you even what to develop. That is exactly what this journey is for. It is to help you develop, grow and find yourself on your career path.
The fact you’ve started a journey is guarantee that you will learn about yourself. My encouragement is, be open and ready for what you will find out about yourself. What you discover will greatly help you in the future and the future journeys you will embark on. Additionally, do not be afraid to lean into what you discover about yourself; whether that’s what you like or do not like. Explore these things and see where they take you. You will lose nothing by exploring what you find out about yourself. Keeping quiet will only stifle your growth and development.
Your apprenticeship journey is a beautiful one. Do your best to enjoy & embrace everything that this journey brings and teaches you about yourself.
