In 2019, I returned to London without a law degree, no clear plan, and a growing fear that I had wasted years chasing the wrong dream. What was supposed to be straightforward had unravelled and I started to question everything. I still wanted to become a lawyer, but I had no idea how. I just knew I couldn’t give up yet.

I took a job as a Personal Assistant in a cancer treatment hospital during the day and in the evenings, I would research how to achieve my goals. To everyone around me, it looked like I was clinging on to a dream that had clearly passed me by.

But sometimes the most transformative moments in your life come disguised as your biggest failures.

All Theory, No Practical

At 18, academic achievement had always been a smooth journey for me. When I finished my A-Levels, I had offers to study law from multiple Russell Group universities. I visited them all and then accepted the offer from the university that felt like the best fit for me and got started. Everything was set up to be perfect but then reality hit

The environment did not align with my learning style. Most of the teaching was textbook reading, PowerPoint slides, and essays with no practical application. I needed to see the connection between what I was studying and what lawyers did day-to-day.

In lectures, I had endless questions but never asked them. I had always been an independent learner, so admitting confusion felt like weakness. That silence led to a downward spiral where the gap between what I knew and what I needed to know widened.

If you’re reading this and you’ve failed, dropped out, or changed your mind - you’re not behind. You’re just on a different path.

Each setback was chipping away at my confidence and sense of belonging. I looked at my transcript confused as it didn’t reflect my ability or knowledge. I remember saying to myself ‘there’s no point in carrying on with this degree’ and so I left.

Discovering the Route Less Travelled

Working at the hospital and feeling lost, I stumbled across a solicitor apprenticeship role on the Government website. I’d never heard of anything like it. The role itself had already closed, but discovering the apprenticeship model filled me with hope.

Companies would fund your tuition AND pay you a salary while you qualified as a lawyer?

Naturally, my family had concerns. It was completely new to us and there wasn't much information available about degree apprenticeships at the time. The first solicitor apprentices were still doing their apprenticeships at the time so a qualified lawyer using this path did not exist yet. In this situation, you could either take a leap of faith or let fear and external opinion put you off from trying something new.

When I saw an advert for an open day to discuss six solicitor apprenticeship roles at Leigh Day, I didn’t have to question it. I could already see myself working in an international human rights firm which seeks to fight injustice and champion the underdog. Growing up listening to the musical activism of icons like Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, and Hugh Masekela, I found Leigh Day’s values resonated deeply with me. I went to the open day, applied, went through interviews and an assessment centre and then secured an offer in 2019. In 2020, I became part of Leigh Day's first ever cohort of solicitor apprentices.

Thriving instead of Surviving

The transition wasn’t smooth. Just as I was finding my feet, Covid hit and lockdown began, adding remote working challenges to an already intensive balance of full-time work and study.

During traditional university, information felt like currency you had to earn. here was competition, gatekeeping, and an unspoken rule to figure everything out by yourself. My apprenticeship was different: people gave me answers, then gave me the tools to learn more.

With too much to do and not enough time, I couldn't afford perfectionism. This is where the lessons from earlier failures came into play. I learned how to plan better instead of cramming. I quickly learned that asking a question to clarify something in the moment is quicker than going away to overthink and spiral. I remembered how staying silent at university got me nowhere. So, I started speaking up in conversations, training sessions, webinars, and meetings even if I knew the least.

I wasn't scared of failure anymore so I couldn't be crippled by it and that gave me a quiet and solid confidence throughout my apprenticeship. I asked about all resources available to me as an apprentice and shifted my mindset: these are not safety blankets for when things get bad, they are my entitlements which I can use when I want and as much as I want.

The difference in attitude and approach between traditional university and my apprenticeship was like night and day. Instead of disengagement and resits, I was achieving academic success and genuinely thriving. I graduated with a First Class Honours and scored the highest mark in the end of degree Portfolio.

Paying it Forward

The support I was given became part of who I am. I began sharing what I was learning on LinkedIn, remembering how much I’d searched for that information myself in 2019. I started mentoring sixth formers and university students, connecting them with lawyers in their areas of interest. Each year, I met with the firm’s summer interns to discuss their journeys and future.

With other apprentices, I co-founded the Legal Apprentice Society at the University of Law, building a community where apprentices could connect, share insights, and grow their networks.

I began speaking at panels, schools, and conferences to share my honest experience and advocate for apprenticeships. I launched Apprenticeish: The Podcast to create content for aspiring, current, and former apprentices.

These efforts led to national recognition. I was shortlisted for Young Person of the Year in the Investors in People Awards 2023, won Management, Legal & Professional Services Apprentice of the Year at the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards 2024, and received the Extra Curricular Excellence Award at my university’s Excellence Awards 2025. These were not just personal achievements - they validated the apprenticeship pathway itself and proved that when you open doors for others, doors open for you.

What I Learned Along the Way

1. Your timeline doesn't have to match everyone else's. In my early twenties, while my mates were wrapping up their degrees and starting graduate schemes, I was starting again. Fast-forward to now, some mates have decided to go back to university, some have decided to change careers, some are still trying to get to the next stage of their careers. Looking back, this shows me that it was never a race.
2. Sometimes the "alternative" route is the best route. What other people saw as a Plan B became the path that led to academic and professional success, meaningful work, and a platform to help others.
3. Resilience is built, not born. Every failure at traditional university was building the skills I needed to thrive as an apprentice. The ability to bounce back, adapt, and keep going is what employers really value.
4. Community changes everything. The isolation I felt at traditional university was replaced by a supportive network of apprentices, colleagues, mentors, family and friends who genuinely want to see me succeed.
5. Your struggles can become your strengths. My experience with failure made me a better mentor, a more empathetic colleague, and someone who creates resources for others facing similar challenges.

Making the Most of Your First Job or Apprenticeship

• Ask for support - Don't wait for help to come to you and if you can see that something that can help you or make your work easier, I would just ask for it. The worst-case scenario is that they say no – and that doesn't change your current situation anyway.
• Document and share your journey. Keeping track helps you reflect and learn from yourself. For others watching your journey, it makes you relatable, memorable and a source of knowledge/advice.
• Be bold about identifying problems and proposing solutions. Don't just point out what's wrong – suggest how to fix it. This is how you stand out and add real value.
• Apply for everything (within your capacity). Awards, opportunities, additional training and everything in between. Even if you don’t think you can win, be a little ‘delusional’ and apply anyway.
• Pay it forward early. You don't need to be senior to help someone. Mentor school students, talk to parents with teenagers, answer questions online, share resources. This builds your network and reputation faster than you'd expect.
• You’re allowed to rewrite your story. Even if it means starting from scratch. Whether you're ahead, behind, or somewhere in between, what matters most is that the path makes sense to you. Your journey. Your terms.

Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and definitely watch Apprenticeish The Podcast.

Josephine Ijegbai | LinkedIn | Apprenticeish The Podcast on YouTube and Spotify