University graduate turned apprentice - One step back, five steps forward

As apprentices at The Juice Academy, we get asked a lot about our backgrounds e.g. how we came to be here and what education we’ve done before. Whenever I explain my background, people always react in the same way when I tell them that I’m a primary school teacher. It’s usually followed by a mixed reaction of “really?!” and then genuine interest into how I’ve gone from teaching in a classroom to being a social media apprentice. This is usually followed by a discussion about university vs apprenticeship. But that’s not what I’m doing here. I’m not going to say that university or an apprenticeship is better. What I’ve come to realise is that there isn’t a definite answer. Some people are most suited to one more than the other and others (like me!) do both.

Unlike some, I always knew I wanted to go to university to train to be a teacher. I’d never even considered an apprenticeship until I came out of teaching and came across The Juice Academy. It came at the right moment where I didn’t know which direction my life was going in. I’d left teaching and didn’t really have much of a plan. But I just took the plunge, went to the bootcamp day and was lucky enough to be offered an apprenticeship.

At first, I was apprehensive about telling my friends & family that I was going to be doing an apprenticeship. I was afraid they would think I was going backwards in my career. And in some ways, I am. But in so many other ways, this apprenticeship has given me opportunities & challenges that have driven me forward in my career as a social media & digital marketer.

My daily life in my job now couldn’t be any more different to my life as a primary school teacher. And I’m loving it. Every day I get to work with amazing industry professionals, gain knowledge & skills for life and move forward in my social media career. It’s already going so fast & I can’t wait to see what the future will hold.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, don’t be scared. Take the plunge. Whether you go to university or not. Whether you do an apprenticeship or not. Don’t be afraid of taking a step back because often you’ll find that this step back will drive you forward in so many other ways.