Choosing an ideal career to suit your skills and interests is no easy task, let alone when you are as young as 14 or 15-years-old.
For decades, schools and employers have tried to support young people with their career choices by providing Work Experience placements to give students a taste of life in the real working world.
It’s as much a way for students to discover the jobs they don’t want to do as it is exploring possible career opportunities.
And this week at Be Bold Media we’re fortunate to welcome our very first Work Experience student – Hattie Mitchell.
Hattie has just completed Year 10 at the Burton Borough School in Newport and next year will be heading into the all important ‘GSCE year’.
But for now, she’s dipping her toe into our world – PR and media – and already she’s proving a success when it comes to content writing.
Here’s her very first post on conquering fear and misconceptions in the workplace…
It’s the 8th of July and today is my first day ever in a real workplace environment.
At school we have been looking forward to and preparing for our two week placements for the last five months or so and with every impending day has come a new lesson or a new fear.
My main worry has been turning up and then being immediately sent out the door again. Luckily that didn’t happen.
Fear is something everyone experiences and when parents regale horror stories about their own Work Experience ‘experiences’ – including complete boredom or becoming professional tea makers – it really doesn’t help.
Most teenagers have a strong idea of certain jobs based around what their parents do.
For me farming is what I know and do best coming from a strong farming background, so stepping into a PR and media consultancy is quite the opposite.
Farming doesn’t require a standard of clothes nor working hours so the prospect of work experience inside, in an office, has somewhat shaken me. Do I wear wellies or heels?
I guess though stepping out of your comfort zone is a good thing. I’m not yet entirely certain of what I would like to pursue in the way of careers but had I chosen to do a work placement somewhere similar to home and on the farm then what would I learn and how would I figure out what I enjoy?
I’m not the most academically minded but I am interested in English and public relations and (hopefully) good at them too. This makes my two week placement at Be Bold Media an amazing opportunity to experience a career I want to find out more about.
Before today, I knew little about public relations. Now after just a few hours through the door, I already feel pretty confident in my knowledge of the job and look forward to the opportunity to contribute towards the company.
My lack of knowledge about the world of PR and media representation has already got better and everyone who works here has created a comfortable and inviting environment, as well as demonstrating an organised and effective business.
I am positive that by the end of the fortnight I will have a completely new insight into an entirely different world which I couldn’t have accessed anywhere else.
To find out how Hattie progresses over the next couple of weeks be sure to re-visit our website for regular updates.
We’re hoping her transition from the farm to the office will be a smooth one and PR will remain high on her list of future potential careers!
