At one point, I was qualified to do nothing, and that’s all I did; I’d wake up in the morning and turn my Xbox on or get my bike out and spend the whole day trying to enjoy myself, it wasn’t always successful, but I got completely used to wasting all my time.
I went to four different colleges after I finished school, didn’t finish a course, honestly, I never made it past the first year because I felt too low to understand why I needed qualifications and looking past tomorrow into the future seemed like an exercise which didn’t suit me.
Holding a job down was something abstract to me also, I struggled to wake up in the morning, let alone feel motivated to go and serve someone I didn’t know for a small portion of the profit I was producing for them.
After years of under-performing and slowly spiraling into chaos, stagnating, and wasting my potential, I wanted to start enjoying life. I decided that I would construct my life in a way which suits me, I needed to earn money and I needed to enjoy myself whilst doing so, after reflecting on what has always excited me (technology and its ability to help people and save lives) I decided to pursue what I had always wanted to be, an inventor.
I heard about the Step Up to HE course, which makes education accessible for people like me, to get a qualification in Engineering Design, so I would have the knowledge to bring ideas from my mind into reality, possibly the best decision I ever made, because the access to equipment and software provided by Staffs University is state of the art and allows users the chance to experience industry, with the comfort of course leaders and technicians to support us.
From being able to meet people who think like me, to being introduced to skilful and experienced students who can help me develop my skills; I learned networking is the most important aspect of life generally, because as a human, we depend on others from birth and the more people you know, the more opportunities you are exposed to.
Coming to university has evolved my potential, however this is not because of the university, it is rather about my attitude towards growth and the access I’ve had here has enable that growth; for some people, an apprenticeship may be the best route forward because of the hands-on learning inside the industry, for others, training providers may be a great place to learn and grow into someone competent.
Whoever you are and whatever your desires may be, developing skills which will last a lifetime is what will inevitably help you become the best version of yourself. Through our YES Project, we can offer 1:1 coaching and mentoring with young people aged 16-24 which aim to include the following:
- Academic and Learning Development
- Life and Career Planning
- Mentoring and Coaching
- Information, Advice and Guidance on progressing to University
Please feel free to get in touch with the team directly via email on stepup@staffs.ac.uk or via Facebook: Step Up to Higher Education/Twitter: @StaffsStepUP and we’d be happy to see how we can help you achieve your future aspirations!
Look forward to speaking soon!
Nesta
