10 Lessons I learnt as an Apprentice
I started my apprenticeship at 17 years of age. Over nine years later, having long finished my apprenticeship, I look back and can confidently say I made the right decision. In this post, I will share the 10 Lessons I learnt as an Apprentice. These rules apply to any career path, graduate scheme, apprenticeship or other.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Background
10 Lessons I learnt as an Apprentice
1. Stick with it.
2. Bottom of the hierarchy.
3. Responsibility.
4. Steer clear of the stereotype.
5. Avoid drama
6. Qualification, experience, the day job. In that order.
7. Save what you can.
8. Fear of missing out (FOMO).
9. Knowledge and Experience = Wisdom.
10. Network, network, network.
Summary
Background
An apprenticeship was a great way for me to earn whilst learning. I learnt a lot along the way. I was lucky enough to get an apprenticeship in a job that I (eventually) enjoyed. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, however. I had a lot of failures along the way, ups and downs, feelings of inadequacies, times where I wanted to throw in the towel and quit. Any career will have its fair share of peaks and troughs.
As an apprentice, you will simultaneously work and study towards a relevant qualification within your field/job of choice. In the UK, apprentices spend at least 20% of their working hours of classroom-based learning with a college, university or training provider leading to a nationally recognised qualification. This means, if you have a 40 hour a week contract, you will spend at least eight hours a week undertaking structured training.
These days, you can find all manner of apprenticeships. Ranging from agriculture, construction, hospitality, military and more. To find one, head over to apprenticeships.gov.uk to see what’s available based on your interest and location.
My advice would be to apply for an apprenticeship that you’re interested in and that offers the highest level of qualification available. Some offer bachelors and master’s degree as part of the apprenticeship. All paid for by the employer. Meaning you get qualified with zero debt. We are paid in two coins: money and experience. An apprenticeship offers you both.
1. Stick with it.
I alluded to the fact that I didn’t always enjoy my apprenticeship. Who knows what they want to be doing at such a young age? I certainly didn’t (… and to some extent I still don’t!). I wanted to quit many times. I’m glad I didn’t. Stick with it at least until you complete the apprenticeship and only then see what your options are and how you feel.
Before you know it, you’ve been working for a few years and earning more money than others your age.
2. Bottom of the hierarchy.
The uncomfortable truth (at first) is that as an apprentice, you are the bottom of the food chain. You’ll typically be the youngest, the least experienced person by a mile and be on lower pay than your colleagues. Put your ego aside, knuckle down and appreciate the journey of learning your trade.
Everyone starts somewhere.
3. Responsibility.
Whilst most of your friends are complaining about their 09:00 lectures, you’ll be working. Working on meaningful tasks and have a lot of responsibility in meeting deadlines. You are responsible for managing your time, juggling your qualifications and the day job. People will be relying on you to complete work and being a team player.
The pressure will build up. You will feel overwhelmed at times. Trust me it gets easier, and you’ll appreciate having a wage every month when your friends are eating pot noodles until the student loan clears their bank account.
4. Steer clear of the stereotype.
A hard lesson. One I unfortunately learnt quite late on. It’s easy to fall into the typical apprentice stereotypes of:
- Not doing more than your contracted hours (even to meet strict deadlines).
- Being on your phone too much.
- Doing just enough not to get fired.
- Not putting effort into your appearance.
This is an opportunity to stand out. Demonstrate your willingness to learn and network with others. My advice would be to view the apprenticeship as a job interview. The employer wants to know if they can trust you and work with you long term. Prove everybody wrong and stay focused.
This isn’t just applicable apprenticeships. Many people starting out their careers use this as an excuse to fall out of touch with their hobbies and interests. It’s easy to fall victim to the trap of the typical 9-5 worker and gain weight, give less consideration to your health and wellbeing all under the excuse of not having enough time and/or being too busy. Trust me, you will regret this. Stay active and keep engaged with your hobbies.
5. Avoid drama.
An obvious one. Avoid drama at all costs. You’ll find there are some colleagues that don’t have much else to talk about other than gossip. Be polite, but do not engage. Anyone you meet on your jobs is someone you could work with for a long time. You will cross paths multiple times with the same individuals throughout your career.
Do not make a fool of yourself and watch out for your colleagues at work social events. Typically, where alcohol is involved.
6. Qualification, experience, the day job. In that order.
This one may sound a little backwards. But trust me when I say, the work you’re doing is not more important than getting qualified. This is what completes your apprenticeship. Now, I’m not saying neglect your work. But there will be times where you are either expected to or want to work instead of using your study day. I fell into this trap many times. You’re risking failing your apprenticeship or getting your employer in trouble.
Your primary goal is to get the highest possible grade in your qualifications whilst gaining the widest range of experience you can. When starting any career, focus on qualifications and experience.
7. Save what you can.
At first, you won’t be earning much. You’ll tell yourself that ‘once I start earning X amount, I’ll start saving’. I know because I told myself the same thing. Start saving as early and as frequently as you can. This includes opting into your employer’s private pension scheme. Ideally, you want to equal your employer highest contribution that they offer. For example, if your employer offers to match up to 5% of your contribution, 5% will be automatically taken from your gross wage every month and your employer will contribute the same amount. Meaning a total of 10% of your wage is saved without you doing anything. This is free money. Use it.
Once you’ve opted into your employer’s pension scheme, the priority switches to your emergency fund. An emergency fund is a personal budget set aside as a financial safety net for future unexpected expenses and events. A typical rule of thumb is to build a 3–6-month emergency fund of your monthly expenses. I.e., if your total monthly expenses are £1,000 a month (rent, bills, travel, food), then your emergency fund should be between £3,000-£6,000. This will likely take a year or two for you to save on your starting salary. Keep going.
Lastly, once you have saved up your emergency fund, you need to start investing for your future. In the UK, we have these magical tax-advantaged investment vehicles called ‘Individual Savings Accounts’ or ‘ISA’ for short. I suggest opening a Stocks and Shares ISA and regularly investing a portion of your wage into a low fee index fund. Albert Einstein once said “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it; he who doesn't, pays it”.
8. Fear of missing out (FOMO).
If you have friends that have gone to university instead of working, you will miss out on a fair share of social events. Some of your friends may take a gap year and trade. You can say goodbye to 6-week summer holidays, too. You’ll be working.
This is one of the downsides to starting an apprenticeship at a young age. My counterargument to this is that, if you are someone who wants to travel, you can. It will just be further down the line. You will need to do more planning and agree time off with your employer when the time comes. Check out this powerful Ted Talk by designer, Stefan Sagmeister on taking regular sabbaticals from your career.
9. Knowledge and Experience = Wisdom.
Wisdom is the ability to think and act using knowledge and experience. This often comes with skin in the game, not just applied learning and experience. Luckily, as an apprentice you’ll have both! As an apprentice you’ll regularly be applying what you have learnt to real life projects. Not just theoretical, but practical. You’ll learn much quicker this way.
If you were to start your apprenticeship at 16, by the time you’re 22 (the average graduate age in the UK), you’ll have six years of relevant experience.
10. Network, network, network.
Networking is critical to your personal growth and professional development. Starting out in your career, you want to build relationships. A successful career takes a lot of time and drive, so it’s good to have a network of friends and associates to draw energy from and keep you going. The key benefits of networking are:
I. Knowledge share. Expanding your knowledge and allow you to see things from other perspectives. You will also meet people that have already been where you are today. Jack Ma said it best with “if you want to be successful, learn from other peoples’ mistakes, don’t learn from success stories”.
II. Opportunity. You’ll meet more people within your industry. Potential clients, new employers, business partners and more.
III. Connection. If networking is a mutual relationship, then having a right networking channel can support your career growth. You are not just gaining exposure to the people in the room, you are building connections with their network too.
IV. Profile. Being visible and being noticed by regularly attending industry and social events, people will begin to recognise you. This can help to build your reputation as a knowledgeable, reliable, and supportive person by offering useful information or tips to people who need it.
Summary.
I will always be an advocate for apprenticeships. It won’t always be easy, but it’s worth it. There is power in learning a trade and the soft skills that come with it from such a young age. It’s a great route for those who do not wish to pursue the typical graduate route and want to start earning money straightaway. It offers opportunities for all, regardless of their economic background.