Aroma’s Story: The GoodWork Programme
In this guest blog, we're hearing directly from GoodWork Intern Aroma, who shares her experience of leaving education and starting her career with GoodWork.
Navigating a newfound sense of adulthood and “freedom” was hard for me. During the pandemic, as sixth form came to an end, the motivation to stay focused on my goals dwindled and what I wanted from life felt short-term. I had little to no idea what would happen next and the support I needed to be able to transition to university or work.
As an immigrant, I had no recourse to public funds because I hadn’t lived in the UK long enough. This meant I wasn’t able to take out student loans, making university incredibly difficult for me to access. Having little guidance, it was harder for me knowing I would have to make my own way. Deciding not to go to university was difficult. Seeing my peers pursue their field of choice brought about a sense of anxiety that felt paralysing. Growing up, I was told the traditional, safest route of pursuing higher education would enable me to chase my dreams, which now felt impossible and out of reach.
It was this paradox that puzzled me - I wanted to try a more unconventional route to work but was told I needed to follow the traditional path. I wanted to go to university because it seemed the best way to eventually get into politics, but since I didn’t have the funds, I had to apply for jobs with no experience. I didn’t know anything about the world of work and felt overwhelmed by options that did not align with my goals. I despaired at the idea of being stuck in a loop of jobs that would not fulfil me. I knew other young people felt the same.
Social mobility is harder for young people in my position. Without networks or experience, we can only strive to make ends meet. These experiences led me to start volunteering alongside my day job to campaign for causes I cared about. It was around this time that I became passionate about skills-building and employment for young people. I wanted to find an opportunity that was centred around youth voices in early careers.
Despite some progress, many organisations still look for or prefer a university degree as a basic pre-requisite. Associating not having a degree with a knowledge gap is common in a lot of industries. I applied for several programmes during my period of “soul searching” and came across an advert for GoodWork’s Early Careers Programme. What I found interesting about it was the youth-centred approach for people finding it hard to get their careers started.
After I applied to GoodWork, I no longer felt I was in the dark. The interview process was accessible, and I was given clear next steps throughout. With GoodWork’s help, I secured a role that suited my needs and likes.
I’m interested in political social action and women’s rights, so getting a role with UPFRONT, an organisation that works with women and non-binary people to build and reshape confidence, was very exciting. While it is a fast-paced environment, I love the tasks that I do. The culture is very open, and the team is up front (catch the pun!) in addressing work-life balance and prioritising mental health. Mental health is linked to productivity, so my experience during this internship has been incredibly fulfilling. I also feel empowered to build my personal brand while learning and being enabled to do work that I am interested in.
The training provided by GoodWork before we started our internships focused on what we should expect work to look like, different cultures, team building, understanding, and building our transferable skills. Besides all the technical bits, the sessions were incredibly interactive. My favourite one was the debate session, where we discussed whether it’s possible to be an ethical billionaire. Every workshop highlighted the skills we could use at work.
All the learning aside, the group was close-knit, and I built relationships and memories I will cherish forever! It was an incredibly cathartic experience discussing struggles that I thought only I was facing with other young people; we discussed neurodivergence, gender and race discrimination, and representation while also making plans to hang out and go to the movies at the end of the day.
GoodWork helped me realise a university degree does not represent a knowledge gap and is not essential to securing a fulfilling job. The impact of this has restored my confidence in myself and the skills I have to offer to prospective employers.
If you’re a young person thinking about the GoodWork programme, I would encourage you to take the first step towards a fulfilling career and apply to the next cohort.