During my five years at Manningtree High School I enjoyed pretty much all my subjects. I always had great teachers who supported me throughout my learning. When the time came to choose my options in Year 9, I decided upon ICT, German and art. Other activities I was involved in were the science club, guitar ensemble, trash band and the book club. After school activities included tennis and the science and engineering club. In my final year at Manningtree, I also became a school prefect. 

 

Being part of the trash band and guitar club gave me the opportunity to be part of the twice yearly school concerts. These were some of the first experiences of performing in front of an audience and they helped me understand the importance of being part of a team. You didn’t want to fall out of time with the other people you were peforming with, since it would be embarrassing for you and for those who you are performing with.

 

At this stage of my education I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do as a career. I enjoyed learning academic and practical subjects however as time passed, I realised I enjoyed problem solving and researching new subjects. This taught me to be determined and stick at things even if the going got tough. These traits enabled me to achieve good results in science, ICT and maths. 

 

After leaving Manningtree High School I went to Colchester Sixth Form College where I studied Applied Business Studies, computing, English Language and Literature and Use of Mathematics. Not having chosen a career path these subjects allowed me to keep my options open. During my time at college I knew University wasn’t for me; I wanted to get out there and start working. This led me to research apprenticeships, and as luck would have it, I saw an advert for a BT Apprenticeship and after interviews and a hub day I got the job. 

 

During my time as a higher apprentice I worked towards my foundation degree and level 4 NVQ. My apprenticeship took me to many different departments and I found that I enjoyed gaining a technical understanding of subject areas and the management of projects. After the apprenticeship I found a role which allowed me to combine these two aspects and it has also improved my skills in data analysis and IT. 

 

Whilst in my new role, an opportunity arose for me to top-up my foundation degree into a BSc in Network Engineering. During my studies I really enjoyed learning about security, so as a result of this I am looking at doing some training in security and this may become the next step in my career path.