I thought I knew the path I was on. I had chosen a trade, started building my skills and could picture where it might take me - but life doesn't always follow the route you've planned.

I'm Dan. I started out as an apprentice carpenter, and somehow, I ended up in marketing instead. So, if you're thinking of apprenticeships, wondering where on earth yours could take you, or staring down a change of direction you didn't ask for, here's what I've picked up along the way.

Where did it start?

I left sixth form at 18 and most of my mates were off to university, but I knew straight away that wasn't the road for me. I didn’t fancy the significant debt and really liked the idea of earning money.

Apprenticeships were starting to get a lot more attention around then, and honestly, the appeal was obvious: get paid, learn on the job, and walk away with a proper qualification. What’s not to love?

I applied around and landed a carpentry apprenticeship with a local builder, which led to many years working through an apprenticeship and gaining technical and life skills.

The detour

I had to stop what I believed was my dream career path due to my health. At the time, I was devastated; I didn’t know what to do or who to talk to.

After making that heartbreaking but necessary decision, I needed something to tide me over for just a couple of months to work out my next move. A mate of mine ran a football shirt startup and offered me a part-time job, packing orders, odd jobs, nothing glamorous.

Those "couple of months" turned into a year and a half and I picked up more than I expected about how a business actually runs.

Somewhere in there, I got roped into a few basic marketing campaigns, and something clicked. That's when I decided marketing was where I wanted to go next.

Something that was only ever meant to be a stopgap ended up pointing me toward an entirely new career. Funny how that works.

Starting over - again

Second time round, finding an apprenticeship was easier. I think experience just helps; I knew how to present myself better, and I had a much clearer sense of what employers and apprenticeship providers were actually looking for.

Still, it was daunting going from a hands-on trade into an office job learning marketing at an insurance broker. Carpentry and marketing don't exactly go hand in hand on paper.

In reality, I wasn't really starting from zero as my first apprenticeship had already taught me valuable skills like how to work with people, take instruction, manage my time, solve problems, and most importantly, have the confidence to ask questions when I didn't have a clue. It also taught me to actually care about the quality of what I put my name to.

Whatever you're doing right now, whether it’s a part-time job, college, volunteering, whatever, you're probably picking up skills that'll matter in places you haven't even thought of yet.

So how's it going?

Looking back, it's mad that marketing wasn't even on my radar originally.

What began as a favour from a mate turned into a whole new career. I've just finished my marketing apprenticeship with a Distinction, and I'm now moving on to a Level 6 degree apprenticeship.

I've also picked up multiple nominations for this year's Worcestershire Apprentice of the Year - fingers crossed on that one.

So if you're early in your career and don't have it all mapped out, don't stress. Your first choice isn't your only choice and changing direction isn't failing. Sometimes the unplanned route takes you further than the one you mapped out.

So what is my advice to you?

·        Ask questions. Nobody expects you to walk in knowing everything. Being an apprentice means you're allowed to ask why, to learn from people who've been doing this longer than you. Take advantage of that!

·        Say yes to even the smallest opportunities. Committing to a degree apprenticeship with four more years of study was the most recent opportunity I have stressed about. But I asked myself, why would I say no to this? It’s an opportunity to progress and push myself. Do I really want to stand still, or do I want to keep climbing?

·        Stop comparing your path to everyone else's. Some people get there quicker and some hit more roadblocks. None of that matters as much as staying persistent and not letting someone else's timeline mess with how you see your own progress. When I left sixth form, my friends went to uni, and I went somewhere completely different. Years later, I'm working toward a degree anyway.

·        Don't let setbacks write your story. Plans fall apart sometimes, and that's fine. Resilience was never about dodging setbacks and not taking risks it's about what you do once one hits you. A setback might knock you sideways or send you somewhere totally unexpected, but it doesn't mean it's over. If anything, the hard bits often set you up best for what's next.

If you're thinking of applying for your apprenticeship right now, you probably don't know exactly where you'll be in five or ten years, and that's completely normal; I didn't either.

My career hasn't gone anything like I imagined at 18. There've been setbacks, sharp turns, and opportunities I never saw coming, but I would like to think I am in a better place than I could have expected.

Because not every detour is a wrong turn.

Dan Medakovic

Marketing @ Sutcliffe & Co | Mann Broadbent

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