How to Be a Leader as an Apprentice | by Leesel Fraser

Congratulations on wherever you are on your journey as an apprentice. Whether you have just graduated high school and it's your first day as a Multiverse Apprentice, you're a seasoned professional looking for a career switch or even if you are coming to the end of your apprenticeship, this article explains some great ways to show your leadership skills in your professional career.

As a Multiverse apprentice, I've found myself in plenty of situations where I have been able to step up and take a leadership role. Here are some of the issues I've faced and how I overcame them.

1. Introduce Yourself

Your first day in the office can be pretty daunting. This may be your first corporate job or your first experience in a new office or even a new location. You may not be sure of how to go about interacting with your coworkers while getting used to this new environment. 

Taking the initiative to introduce yourself helps build confidence and allows people to get to know you and support you. Upon introducing yourself, you may find that there are a lot of people who are willing to welcome you and perhaps even help introduce you to other people as well.

In my experience, people are usually willing to take you around the office if it is quite large and even around the local area so you feel more comfortable - you never know until you say hello!

2. Create Community

One great way you can practice introducing yourself is through joining communities. 

A smaller community where you share a common interest with the people in the community may help you feel less anxiety about introducing yourself. 

Lucky for you, if you are not good at face-to-face communication, you can join communities online. A great place to start is the Multiverse Community Hub where you can join Groups, Networks, and more. The Multiverse Community Hub has many virtual spaces designated for different interest areas, subject matters, and even individual identities. Take a look around the Hub and try to join the groups that interest you. A great way to practice step one is to send a quick introduction in the live feed. One great community to join on Multiverse is the Leadership Accelerator to share and grow your leadership skills with so many people from all around the world with many different experiences.

If there are communities you would like to have that you do not see in your company or Multiverse, then of course you can create a community or reach out and pitch an idea for one to be created. This is a great way to show initiative and leadership. Additionally, if you want to start even smaller, you can request Peer support or a Mentor or try to attend some events.

3. Share Experiences

Work is about more than just the professional side, it's always great to be a friendly coworker and form relationships outside of work. One way to make better connections with coworkers is to initiate a conversation about hobbies or personal interests, possibly during lunch or on a coffee break. Reach out to coworkers and ask them to coffee to share more about their professional journey with you. You may have a lot in common.

You may also have prior experiences from before your apprenticeship that are valuable and unique (maybe you can solve a rubix cube faster than I can say ‘apprenticeship’) . Feel free to share that with others in your cohort or at work. It is sure to make you stand out and invites others to share their unique experiences and skills as well.

4. Ask Questions / Speak Up

The great thing about apprenticeships is that you get the opportunity to learn while you earn. Your apprenticeship is the best time to ask all of the questions you have whether it is about your career, or specific to your apprenticeship, such as technical help. 

If you find yourself needing some more support on a project, connect with your manager and let them know! This is a great career skill because it shows that you have the humility and the ability to communicate and that you are courageous and vulnerable enough to speak up.

Even in our professional career after apprenticeship, we will still have moments where we are unsure or need clarification and it's great to practice reaching out now because it will help in the long run and it's great to get your questions answered early rather than remain stuck.

5. Advocate for Yourself and Others

Similar to step 4, advocate for what you need. If you find your project to be too hard or confusing, definitely bring that up with your manager. 

It is common for apprentices to struggle with handling both the multiverse work AND the job work together. You can advocate for yourself and possibly others, by speaking with your multiverse coach and manager to see how they can support you in order to make both workloads more manageable to ensure your success.

Another way to advocate for yourself is to take control of your calendar and working schedule. Block out time for yourself when you need to focus on work or don't want to have any meetings. Plan time for yourself if your company offers Paid Time Off (PTO). 

Lastly, it will be helpful to take charge and make a plan for your success, and set goals for yourself to keep you on track and moving forward for a successful apprenticeship.

I hope you find this article helpful and that it leads you toward creating a more impactful apprenticeship experience - please let me know if you have any more tips in the comments section!

Leesel Fraser is a US-based Software Engineering Apprentice at Multiverse and is writing for the Apprentice Lens as part of the Blogging Team. Here’s more about her:

“Born and raised in New York City, Leesel grew up in a fast-paced environment around a melting pot of diverse experiences and backgrounds and at a young age, she found her passion for technology, problem-solving, and continuous learning. She aims to write blogs that will help you understand technical concepts as well as learn and grow professionally and personally.”