Ever Heard That Phrase ‘Fortune Favours The Brave’? | by Emily Patel

Well, I have been favourably rewarded twice in my career for making bold decisions in the face of adversity.

Road After Redundancy 
Redundancy, for some, can be a bitter pill to swallow. Just over five years ago I took redundancy personally, started to doubt myself and my self-esteem dropped. It was at that point I faced a curve ball by being offered an opportunity to take a different role at the same organisation. An organisation that just a few weeks earlier had placed me at the bottom of their best-fit pile. Mad or what! I seriously considered taking it – that was my self-esteem talking - knowing full well that we were not a good fit, but something held me back. 

"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road" eloquently sung by Green Day back in the 90s – yep, I'm a millennial!

Head-hunted!
In the same week, I was approached (or dare I say it ‘head-hunted’ – hard to believe back then, but that is what happened!) by a local children's mental health charity to fill a new role. The opportunity seemed a little left field. I'd be walking into a role that was near enough new, unestablished, raw, and very much open to interpretation, yet perfect for my varying skillset. 

Within a week, I’d made the bold decision to take the role and without a doubt, it was the decision of my career. I've had highs and I've had lows, but mostly I know that during a particularly tricky time, I found my place, and in so doing, my reward. Work gives me purpose and knowing that the foundation of my career was spent building up to this point is satisfying, to say the least.

We wear many hats in marketing and comms, some fit well, others rest more subtly, but I'm yet to find a hat I wouldn't at least try. It is the variety that my current role brings that I enjoy so much. That plus an awesome team with such varied skill sets - every day is a school day!

My Second Fortuitous Reward
When the second difficult moment in my professional career arose (a promotion that wasn’t to be) I decided to let karma play her hand and to remain in an organisation where I was happy. “A bold decision” some commented, but once again, unexpectedly, I was offered a fortuitous reward. And here I find myself today, writing a blog after being presented with and accepted onto an opportunity of a lifetime – an apprenticeship in Data Literacy. This is my time to develop my professional skillset, champion an informed data culture at work, and prepare myself for the next career opportunity that presents.

I've been fortunate that my current role found me, we matched, and that my decisions continue to shine a light on the road to take. I have an opportunity to make a big impact through my current learning and I fully intend to do all I can to exceed this.

It's funny how opportunities present themselves when you least expect them. Be brave and take that new road, it may well be “something unpredictable, but in the end, it's right… I hope you ‘have’ the time of your life.”

Emily Patel is a Data Literacy/ / Data & Insights for Business Decisions apprentice at Multiverse based in Essex, UK. She’s writing for the Apprentice Lens as part of the Blogging Team. Here’s more about her:
"Hi, I’m Emily, Marketing and Communications Manager for the charity Kids Inspire. I write and tell real-life stories for a living but made a promise to myself to blog outside of work for my own wellbeing. This is the start of that promise and I hope to capture the interest of readers along the way."