How An Apprenticeship Was The Right Career Start For Me | by Olivia Kurczewska

We’re proud to have reached another milestone on our mission: our community has reached 10,000 apprentices and alumni. In this series, we’ll be celebrating this by sharing ten unique stories from some of our most inspiring Community members. 

Comment below on how the Community is helping you achieve your goals!

I hadn’t always viewed apprenticeships in a positive way. When I first heard of “apprenticeships”, I huffed and disregarded it. The way to go after finishing sixth form or college was obviously university, right?

University Is Not For Everyone

I remember the first mention of the “university” during a sixth-form interview, around 7 years ago, in my last year of secondary school. The interviewer was straight up with me and asked me about my plans after school. That question caught me off guard because I wasn’t sure yet about what I wanted in the future, so I explained that I was still exploring my options. 

However, the interviewer snapped back at me to tell me that I needed to know now to be able to get into university. At that point, I knew that the interview wasn’t successful, which was OK since I had other interviews lined up - but it left me feeling really confused. 
I was left with many questions that I felt couldn’t be answered…

• Must I know now what I want to do?
• There are so many universities, and so many courses to choose from – which one is right for me?
• I’m so young and the world has so much to offer – do I have to decide on the rest of my life now? 
• I must do this quickly because this is my only chance, right? I won’t be able to educate myself like this again, will I?

It seemed like everyone around me, from classmates and teachers to friends and family, was just focused on the idea of getting into university after school. I felt like I had to follow. At school, we were never provided clear information about apprenticeships or other options outside of the university – sure, it was mentioned, but nothing more. And so I didn’t think it was an option back then.

I Was Far From Right

As immigrants, my parents never went to university, so they had the same mindset as me. I wanted to take a gap year to “figure myself out” but my family dismissed that, so I took the route for the ‘usual’ university path while feeling completely unsure and unconfident. I chose a course I seemingly liked and a university close to home. 

Going into my first year, I just tried to blend in, even though I felt like I wasn’t doing the right thing for myself. I felt uneasy and wondered how I would overcome this struggle, managing all the reading and writing that university would bring. I felt like all my peers knew the exact careers they wanted after graduating, except for me! My answer would always be, “I’m not sure yet.”

Fast forward to the end of the year, I decided I couldn’t continue. It just wasn’t for me. I left and began exploring other options. I thought it was too late for an apprenticeship at that point. I had the idea that you could only apply for one coming out of school and that I was too old. I completely ignored any possible apprenticeship opportunities and applied for jobs instead. This was hard. 

I had no work experience and I had an unfinished university course. What was I going to do from there? I was lost. Even though friends were in apprenticeships at the time, I felt too old and feared that my future was doomed!

I worked in some temporary jobs during this time hoping to build up experience and advance in the working world, and maybe figure out what it was I wanted out of my career. I was lucky enough to land some marketing assistant roles that I enjoyed a lot, which encouraged me to develop my marketing skills. I was eager to learn more to be better – but how I could do this while being a temporary and part-time employee?

Thankfully, I had supportive employers at the time that brought apprenticeships to my attention in our meetings. Though still unsure of the idea of them, this was when I began taking the idea of an apprenticeship more seriously. Perhaps working while learning was exactly what I needed. And the more I researched, the more this statement became true…

Taking The Title of An Apprentice Proudly

With no knowledge of them initially, I did think apprentices were ‘below’ university students – especially with society constantly pushing for everyone to go to university. University open-day ads are everywhere! From billboards to radio adverts, you can’t escape. And doesn’t everyone seem to ask a university-related question if you look like a student?

It seemed like everywhere I went, my family and I would get bombarded with such questions as if it was a competition and nothing was more important than being a university student…
“What university do you go to? What do you study?” 
“My son goes to so and so. What about your child? Have they graduated?”
“My daughter went to abc and is now working in xyz!”
I would always try to change the topic quickly to avoid bringing an awkward vibe to the conversation.

When seeking apprenticeship roles, I also thought they were limited with what they offered. For example, ‘Digital Marketing’. How was I ever going to fit into ‘one role’ with such a broad name, when the marketing industry is huge? You could go in any direction in marketing. But actually, in the end, I realised this was a huge benefit.

After coming across Multiverse, I watched the site for a long time before submitting my own application. By this time, 2-3 years had passed since my university experience. I read stories from current MV apprentices and alumni that encouraged me to start my Multiverse journey. All the staff I was in contact with at the time were super helpful and friendly, making me feel supported in my own decision for the first time, which only motivated me more. How could I have been so wrong to think that I couldn’t start an apprenticeship years after finishing school?

From then on, I applied for a few relevant roles. Everything was explained well, from the company to what I should expect throughout my apprenticeship. I felt like I was applying for what I actually wanted instead of just applying for any marketing job. And once I got my first offer, I was over the moon! I must be honest, the assessment process made me nervous but the MV team were more than helpful.

With all the guides and information provided by Multiverse, I was at ease knowing the work I would be doing in my role at my current company as well as the learning I would take on as an apprentice. Stepping into the office on my first day, I quickly discovered that my new team were very helpful and understood my role as an apprentice too. I was also told by co-workers that they had wished they took on apprenticeships instead of university!

For the first time in a long time since leaving school, I finally felt like I was doing the right thing for myself. I’ve never been happier while having the opportunity to learn on the job. I am treated like a real employee, while also being able to take up training. I am able to study at my own pace with support from a number of sources, ranging from Multiverse (my coach and the MV team themselves) to the company I am currently a Digital Marketing apprentice under. 

A few months into my apprenticeship now, I am making an impact in my workplace with all I have learnt so far while also continuing on a path of career and personal development – what a perfect balance! I now stand for apprenticeships and recommend them to anyone I can. My only regret is that I wish I had known more about apprenticeships sooner. There really is no better way to work and learn at the same time - the greatest choice I have ever made!

P.S. And isn’t the Multiverse Community just the best thing ever? How fantastic is it to have a community of likewise people/apprentices to stay in touch with!

Olivia Kurczewska is a Digital Marketing apprentice at Multiverse.