Apprenticeships were never a path I imagined for myself. They weren’t discussed at school, no one in my family or friendship circle had completed one, and I hadn’t even heard of anyone on an apprenticeship in my tight-knit community. There was simply no information available. Instead, I grew up hearing the stigma: apprenticeships were for those who “didn’t get into university,” “weren’t clever enough,” or were a “last resort.” For most of my life, I believed that too.

That mindset stayed with me until my own plans fell apart - and I discovered a world that would completely change the direction of my life.

I had always been a planner. I chose my GCSEs for medicine, my A-levels for medicine, sat the exams, aimed for medical school, and envisioned myself as a neurologist decades into my career. That was the plan. But life had other ideas.

Picture me in Year 12: confident, ambitious, ready to take on A-levels and discover myself. The only flaw in my “perfect” plan was that I wasn’t where I wanted to be. I was rejected from my first-choice sixth form for being two marks short of a grade 7 in GCSE Biology.

Looking back, that rejection was a pivotal moment and one I had no control over. For someone who always had a plan, this felt unfamiliar and unsettling. I chose a sixth form that wasn’t part of my vision, but all my older siblings had attended and enjoyed their experience there and have now found themselves successful in their jobs. If it worked for them, why not me? It was in a predominantly white area, and as a British Asian Muslim woman, I didn’t fit the status quo. Still, I was determined to be unapologetically myself with everyone I met.

Then COVID-19 hit in March 2020. Like many teenagers, I thought it would mean two weeks off school. Instead, months passed, Year 13 arrived, and learning from home became the norm. I struggled deeply. My mental health declined, my grades slipped, and I lacked the guidance I needed during such a critical time. Self-directed learning felt premature - wasn’t that meant for university? Another lockdown followed in March 2021, and exams were taken under difficult circumstances, marked by teachers who had already provided little support.

I then took a gap year to recover mentally from being confined to four walls and losing experiences many of us were robbed of during the pandemic. During this time, I had secured conditional offers for Foundation Medicine and Optometry, but I felt disappointed in my A-level results. As a high-achieving student with even higher expectations of myself, I didn’t want those grades to define me, so I resat one A-level.

One of the most significant nights of my life came when I decided to decline all my university offers. Late one evening, I found my mum praying. I sat beside her and burst into tears, telling her I didn’t want to go to university anymore. To my surprise, she sighed with relief. In our mother tongue and with softness in her voice she said, “University does not define whether I am proud of you or not, I am proud if you’re a good person, if you wake up in the morning and if you go to bed that night – that you are happy with you, that I am happy with you and most importantly if Allah (God) is happy with you. Success is not defined by degrees; it is defined by goodness.” That moment of vulnerability and warmth stays with me to this day. My mother’s guidance, support, and prayers are a huge reason I am where I am now.

Eventually, I needed a job, and with my mum’s encouragement, I applied and landed my first role at The Perfume Shop as a Sales Assistant. I loved the environment, but minimum wage wasn’t sustainable. I then moved to Asda as a Customer Service Representative, a role that tested my patience but provided financial stability, where I stayed for a year and a half.

In September 2023, almost on a whim, I applied for my first apprenticeship - without even fully understanding what “chartered” meant. On the morning of my 21st birthday, I received a missed call asking me to call back urgently. That call marked the beginning of a new chapter in my life and led me to the apprenticeship I’m in today - one that opened doors to opportunities I never imagined.

Now, with 6 months left in my apprenticeship I laugh and reflect deeply on the plans I once had and am forever more grateful for the choices that led me here. The future I once planned didn’t happen, but the world didn’t end. Instead, I found one I never saw coming - and it changed everything. Life doesn’t always follow the blueprint we create, but resilience allows us to trust the process and through challenges and uncertainty, I’ve learned that unplanned paths can lead to purpose, fulfilment, and growth. The path I didn’t prepare for became the one that prepared me the most, so sometimes, letting go of the plan is what allows something better to take its place. Be brave, and take that step – you may never know what the future holds for you!

Umara Ramzan

Chartered Manager Degree Apprentice specialising in HR at Royal Mail

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