Configuring a New Path: My Transition Into Tech

Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down. And I'd like to take a minute and just sit right here, I'll tell you how I got nominated for Apprentice of the Year.

In my home of Northamptonshire, born and raised, on the playground was where I spent most of my days. Chilling out, maxing, relaxing, all cool and all, shooting some b-ball outside of school…

…I wish there was a catchy theme tune to accommodate my journey from where I was at to where I am today on my educational and career path, it might have made it feel a bit easier. But there wasn't. Although I'm told nothing easy is worth having. 

I also wish I had a pound for every time I heard someone say, 'mature student'. Mature is speculative - hmm, I guess maybe in smell after late minute research on the eve of deadline day. Also, those pounds would have been a welcome contribution to the student debt I accumulated from university first time round. We didn’t have a Placer then, sparking conversations on better and more economic ways for youngsters, school leavers and adults alike to upskill and enter the workplace. Nevertheless, my journey was never a linear path to success.

To go back to the early days, I remember leaving school with great GCSE's but no desire to go to university and being offered scholarship offers to play basketball at college overseas but not wanting to leave the home and country I knew so well. It was fair to say I had absolutely zero idea of how the future looked for me and despite eventually going to university full time and achieving a degree in Finance and working in a few industries post-graduation, years on, I still had zero idea of how the future looked for me.  

It wasn't until the pandemic era where I ended up lucky enough, knowledgeable enough and in the right place and right time to be a contestant and winner on a TV quiz show. It was the joy and the period after this where I took a few months of to really slow down for a moment, evaluate my life and decide I was no longer going to follow the path previously created for and by me and I wanted to take my future into my own hands. At the time I was fortunate enough to still be playing and coaching for a top basketball organisation in the South of England, yet it was now at the ripe and 'mature' age of 30, that for the first time I had an idea of what the future might actually look like.

My generation will be known as the last generation to remember life before and after the rise of modern-day technologies, mobile phones and social media. This realisation alongside my passion for gaming, math, tech and computing, helped me decide my next steps and where I might be best placed to make a difference. As these computers become more prevalent in both human and societal development, I thought, 'if not now, then when?' and so I took the leap of faith and started pursuing opportunities to go back and study a completely new field to what I was used to, which is when I came across degree apprenticeships.

Now you can find my steps from that decision to graduating and to where I am today on my LinkedIn, but I will break it down for you very quickly with my thought process throughout:

Okay I'm doing this > Okay I'm in > What a company! > I'm sorry, how many assignments by when?! > I can do this > Okay I can’t do this > Okay maybe I can do this > Nope maybe I can’t > Wait I am doing this > Ooooh I'm not too bad at this > Arrgh, I wish I could submit that again > I’m nearly there > Thank God I ignored those self-doubts > I did it!!

As you can see - growth, confidence and success was never a linear path. Without the resilience and perseverance to overcome most barriers put in my way, I'd never have even seen the finish line, never mind managing to cross it.

There are several key takeaways I therefore want to touch on that might just give you the encouragement you are looking for if you’re unsure about what your future holds.

1. Not rejection, redirection - Just because things don't go as you first expected doesn’t mean you have been rejected. This might be opening a pathway for you to gain skills elsewhere you might not have been exposed to otherwise. The path to success isn't a straight line.
   
   
2. Believe in you - If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else will. Every person has their own unique skills, experiences and viewpoints. It is these that make you who you are and you must see the strengths in your uniqueness to truly reach the potential you might not even know you have.
   
   
3. Network and ask - Seek the information that you need to take the next step. Ask questions, make yourself the stupidest person in everyone room and take every opportunity to learn from the experts around you. In the words of the late great Dumbledore, help will always be given to those who ask for it!
   
   
4. Remain persistent and resilient - Never give up. I was 12 years out of school, with a degree, sports career behind me and with 7 years of corporate work experience before I had an idea of what I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life. It wasn’t until 1 month before I graduated from my second degree that I finally felt I had achieved what I'd set out to. That all said - just because things don’t feel perfect, that doesn’t mean you're on the wrong path. There's no growing in the comfort zone and no comfort in the growing zone.
   
   
5. Trust the process - remember, no rain, no rainbow. Nothing worth having comes easy, and nothing that comes easy is worth having. There IS a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Whether you reach it starts and ends with you. But if you ask me, I think you'll be just fine!

 

If there is anything I can do to help or advice I can give that might support you and your journey, I encourage you to reach out and ask. There might be something I could learn from your pathway that helps me further on mine too! In whichever case, you can find me on LinkedIn at Leome Francis. Good luck!!

 

Leome Francis

Network Engineer | MBCS | Personal Trainer | Sportsman | Basketball Coach | Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards Finalist 2024