Never too late for a change…

If you asked me 5 years ago today what I would be doing after college, the answer would be to be a qualified clinical psychologist… now I have a different story to tell.

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a very creative individual, someone who always wanted to tear things apart and find out how it works. I think this was one of the main drives that pushed me to go into psychology, I wanted to know what made a person tick and had to find reasons for this, but my artistic passion never waned.

The first hurdle that changed my path was that there was not enough information in college relating to anything creative, so I felt urged to pursue something academic, i.e., psychology. So then after long years pursuing a Psychology degree, I was rudely awakened to the fact that becoming a clinical psychologist would not be as easy and straightforward as I was led to believe and there were many more steps to take before I reached the final point.

Then the tragedy of the Covid-19 Pandemic happened meaning the life we know would change drastically overnight, welcoming in Zoom, social distancing, and adapting to working from home. I don’t know about anyone else, but my social media use surged to an all-time high, which is how I found myself stumbling upon the term “Digital Marketing” and now I am exactly where I want to be.

Some may think this is a step back doing a level 3 apprenticeship at my age after doing a degree, but I think different. There are so many benefits to be gained from apprenticeships that I wish I knew earlier and saved myself lots of time and MONEY (let’s not talk about this). Not only would I be gaining tons of experience on the job, which is something I wouldn’t have been able to do while studying for a degree. There are also tons of future opportunities available once the apprenticeship is completed, which not only expands career prospects but makes the whole apprenticeship worthwhile.

I finally feel at peace and happy with my career decision even though it has been quite a broad career jump. From wanting to be within the medical field to working around social media and digital design. This may seem like a big leap, but I feel like I have gone back to the place where I should have started all along.

It is never too late to change your mind and start a new career path. There are plenty of opportunities out there that are at reach that could all start with an apprenticeship. My best advice is to not let your age limit you to what you can do. You haven’t missed your last chance because there are brighter and bigger horizons waiting for you, you just have to check and see…or wait for a global pandemic to stumble on a new path.

Fadeke Ifebajo, Cohort 31, Junior Content Producer at Carousel PR