For the longest time I have always seen myself to be an aspiring academic and so that meant university. Something about the prestige admittedly held a lot of weight within me and so the idea of an apprenticeship always felt like a half-baked thought. It was something that seemed great but, in my perception, was lacking. In actuality, the problem was never the apprenticeship offering it was my perspective.

Apprenticeships are always displayed in a light that puts academia on the backfoot in exchange for practical experience, but they work much more in tandem than one might expect. That mindset shift was, for me, the fundamental push I needed at a time when I was hearing from those around me that “apprenticeships are the route you take if you aren’t academically capable”.

The truth is as much cliché as it is true – your experience is what you make of it.

Learning isn’t something that stops. It really does exist in every environment including those that you do spend the majority of your time as a degree apprentice working in. But that also doesn’t mean that if you see yourself as an academic learner, you must forfeit that interest if you decide to pursue an apprenticeship route. There is a lot to offer in terms of academic enrichment as an apprentice whether that be through the standard lectures and assignments you will inevitably become familiar with or going above that and really absorbing yourself in trying to become more literate in whatever field you choose to enter. The point I am trying to make is that you can seek out academia AND practical experience without feeling like you are forfeiting one or the other.

As someone who’s apprenticeship journey was filled with about as much uncertainty as feels like is a rite of passage these days, authenticity really stood out to me to be my reason why. It felt like I owed it to myself to put in those hours to apply, stumble through gruelling psychometric tests and to continue even after failing at numerous interview stages. Rejection was a consistent theme, and it had brought me very near to giving up especially as two major companies I had instilled a lot of my faith in rejected me in a time where it felt like I was so close to missing out. A lot of you are bound to have read people express a very similar rhetoric and my aim isn’t to illuminate how difficult it is to remain steadfast in attaining a degree apprenticeship – that story has very much written itself thanks to my peers. Instead, I want to highlight the simple yet often overlooked thought when applying for any such opportunity. Is it something you really want?

The truth is resilience isn’t a skill that can be switched on and nor should it be. To want to keep trying requires a constant pull factor. Whether that’s fulfilling dreams old or new, pushing outside your comfort zone or anything else that you find within yourself it’s important to make these choices to serve you and not the other way round. In this way you can create resilience and not have to put on resilience. It was this very mindset that I think kept me going. The desire I had instilled within myself couldn’t fade because I knew it was worth it for me. It felt worth it because I knew I could continue in my pursuit of academia on a journey that fulfilled me. That’s all that should matter to you aswell. Your journey isn’t supposed to be one way or another it’s just meant to be yours. So, take those risks, explore every option and really invest in what you want.

University could be your answer and that isn’t something that should feel wrong. There isn’t a side that you must choose between an apprenticeship or university - they aren’t opposites. They are much better to be seen as tools from which you can create value to further your development as you grow and embark on your path.

Up until this point I have intentionally refrained from including a great deal about myself as this advice isn’t industry bound. But to end this of I would like to share a bit more about me and some final takeaways.

My name is Uzair, and I am a first year Software Engineer Degree Apprentice at Royal Mail alhamdulillah (all praise to God) currently working in DevOps on a 6-month rotation and I can confidently say it’s been a time full of a growth and development. From application season all the way till today challenges have been rife but if my journey can do one thing it is prove that staying authentic and putting your all into what YOU want will pay you back tenfold.

If I could leave you with some final words they would be:

·        Explore your options your industry and your interests

A lot of roles aren’t as they seem on the surface – take software engineering as an example. You don’t spend most of your day writing code but instead designing discussing and collaborating with others as how to best compose a solution. In the same way across every industry, the day to day looks significantly different than one might expect. By keeping yourself well informed in spaces that interest you, it will give you an edge in interviews whilst also allowing you to understand if the opportunity really is right for you

·        Consistency

Some days you’ll face a motivation crushing defeat and other days you’ll feel unstoppable that’s just how it goes. By creating a system that you know you can fall back on every single day you can prevent your plateau and turn every chance of growth into a success

·        Remain authentic

I’ve stressed the importance of authenticity for a reason. If you can show up as yourself throughout every step of your journey from written applications all the way to the first day and onwards, you create value that holds the single-most power in those worlds you wish to enter. People remember YOU - let your work be a part of you and not all of you.

I wish you all the best in your journey and feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn

Uzair Ahmed

Software Engineer Degree Apprentice at Royal Mail

You can find out more and connect with Uzair on LinkedIn.