Rejecting the self fulfilling prophecy: My journey to a legal apprenticeship

The plague of imposter syndrome

Diving into education and study full time straight from sixth form college can be daunting. For me, an overwhelming sense of imposter syndrome settled in and I truly began to doubt every move I made. It took me a while to realise that the reason I was here wasn’t because of a stroke of luck or to tick a diversity check list but because I had worked hard, and I was just as qualified as my peers. There were multiple contributing factors to my increased imposter syndrome such as my background, my anxiety disorder and ADHD. But whenever I feel discouraged, I take a trip down memory lane and remember my journey here.

My Turning point: Counting my blessings

Being a first generation child in a working class household was a motivating factor to dream big. But it was simply just a dream. The turning point was my older brother hiding the obvious rip in his school shoes (despite us living in Manchester where it always rains) as my parents didn’t have enough money to buy him another pair. As well as watching my parents constantly worry about theirs and my brothers immigration status. Witnessing this determination and resilience motivated me to turn my dreams of becoming something into a reality.

Deciding what career I wanted

First, I had to  individually decide what I wanted to do (not my parents), what my passions were and what I was good at. In secondary school and sixth form college, I loved essay based subjects such as history ( I still love it now despite the fact I’m slightly traumatised from exams). Therefore, I searched for something that would allow me to use those transferable skills I gained from essay subjects into everyday work, which is how I discovered law was perfect for me. Although part of me still didn’t think I could make it there, I wasn’t ever top the class I was always just average in terms of GCSE’s and A levels. As the saying goes, where there’s a will there’s a way. The best way for me to stand out was through more transferable skills from extracurricular activities such as sports, volunteering and part time jobs- which I did.

Deciding why

However, we tend to love the idea or concept of something more than the thing itself. So to be sure, I participated in Slaughter & May’s Excellerators programme where I enjoyed delivering a presentation on commercial issues and how they affected certain industries. This is also when I knew I’d prefer working in law than studying the law for a significant amount of time, without being offered the chance to see how it applies in practical scenarios. Moreover, I was aware of how hard it was to get a career in law. I was determined to get my foot in the door as early as possible and build my experience and my personal brand.

Keeping the ladder down

It only took one yes for me to land my dream role, I’m over a year in and do not regret my decision at all. It has been incredibly difficult at times, having to balance work and study. As well as feeling different to others due to my general anxiety disorder and ADHD. What’s also hard is joining the corporate world in general, where there isn’t a lot of young black apprentices. This is where the BAN (the Black Apprentice Network) have helped massively. Allowing us all to bond and laugh about similar experiences and making genuine friendships. It has also provided us with the opportunity to keep the ladder down for aspiring young black professionals who want to break into different industries.

Rejecting the self fulfilling prophecy

The 16 year old girl sat in her history class would have never imagined she’d be 19 and working at an international law firm, a national award winner, and being confident in her decision to go with an apprenticeship. But I’m making myself and my family proud, because I wrote my own narrative and refused to allow the labelling theory to apply to me.

My top pieces of advice:

Lose the degree elitism

One of my most important pieces of advice would be to be confident in going with what you want to do. I’m a level 3 apprentice studying the paralegal apprenticeship (equivalent to one year of a law degree). I still see people only excluding level 3-5 apprenticeships and treating them as inferior. It’s vital not to let things like that affect your decision. I have never felt more confident in my role than I do now, and slapping a 6 instead of a 3 in front of the levels won’t change that. Go with what suits you and what you’re confident with.

Breakthrough the ‘barriers’

Don’t become a self fulfilling prophecy. Just because you’re neurodivergent, ethnic, or have a mental health condition doesn’t mean you’re predictable. If working in law, tech or finance is what you want to do then go for it. Be the anomaly. You shouldn’t feel like you have to settle for something you don’t want to do because you’re letting your teachers or your parents plan your life for you.

Find your people

Build a genuine network of friends. Stop looking as every interaction with people on LinkedIn or on a social network (BAN, LACE, OuterCircle) as for your own personal profit. Talk to people because you want to get to know them. Then you’ll build a genuine bond which will be mutually beneficial. I can’t imagine where I would be if it wasn’t for my friends that I’ve met through my job from different companies. They push me every working day to be a better person, not just a better employee.

 

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my blog. If you have any questions, or this resonated with you in any way, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn, always happy to help.

 

Temiloluwa Kila

Paralegal Apprentice at Pinsent Masons | National Best Paralegal Apprentice of the Year 2024

You can find out more and connect with Temi on LinkedIn.