I’ve never been more ready for the next chapter – here’s why

The last four years have been somewhat of a rollercoaster for me. Since finishing my GCSEs, I’ve not had a straightforward journey to university, unlike some of my friends.

I found sixth form laborious and childish. I hated that we still had to go through the whole ‘Good morning, sir’ routine; it felt belittling, given I was seventeen at the time.

I soon decided sixth form wasn’t for me. Some of my friends had taken on apprenticeships and the money that came with them certainly seemed attractive. My journey down this road began, and I found myself as an apprentice technician at a through school in Sheffield. I loved this job; working with children was incredibly rewarding, and each day brought a different challenge. Unfortunately, my real-life bubble popped, and I realised I wanted more from life than being stuck in a minimum wage job for years.

It was at this point that various family members told me I needed a trade. I enrolled in college and tried to get another apprenticeship as an electrician. Hindsight is brilliant, but why I ever thought this was going to be the career for me, I’ll never know. A manual labour job simply doesn’t suit my skills and attributes, and I was finally able to admit that. During this second apprenticeship the pandemic began; I ended up leaving, because there was nothing to do, as everything was locked down.

I actually consider the first lockdown as one of the best times of my life. It was a time I could work on myself mentally. I spent most of it on long walks with my dog. Spending so much time outdoors was great, and I was the most mentally sound I’ve ever been. That summer, which I will coin as the ‘rule of six summer’, I spent most days at the local pub, meeting new people who have become some of my closest friends.