Afsana Rahman from George Green’s Sixth Form in East London enjoyed a four-week paid internship in the Programmes team at Career Ready. Find out how her time with us raised her ambitions and hopes for the future.
Feeling lost and inexperienced
Afsana joined the Career Ready programme not knowing what she wanted to do in the future and feeling unsure about her own abilities – especially when it came to putting herself into new situations.
“I never knew what I wanted to be and was too shy and anxious to go out of my way to reach out for new opportunities or even talk to people I didn’t know.”
But during her four-week paid internship with Career Ready she became much more independent, discovering her true abilities and a bank of transferrable skills along the way.
“I was able to develop many new skills that I didn’t even know I was lacking in, and now I’ll be able to take them with me into any working environment. I’ve developed my communication skills and time management skills over the last few weeks for sure. I was given freedom and independence, which was something new for me. At school, I have a fixed timetable and am told when to do things.”
Building a baseline for the future
Afsana’s internship with the Programmes team gave her an insight into how the London Regional team works. She got to experience a busy office first-hand, which gave her a better idea of what her future in a professional environment might look like.
“In the first week I joined meetings and was asked to work with colleagues by giving them feedback on the programme, which gave me a real taste of how office life is – it was an eye opener for me. Being able to work in such a positive and welcoming environment definitely made it easier for me to adapt.
During my internship I got to take on a range of projects including learning Excel, a programme I was unfamiliar with, filling in logs with information from responses in a form. Once I had started using it, I didn’t want to go back!”
Not only did Afsana gain new skills, but she also realised her passion for helping others – an experience that’s shifted her future plans.
“This internship really showed me what’s important to me when it comes to my career – I’ve decided I’d like to work in a sector that makes a positive impact on the world and helps people.”
Prepared for the real world
Having completed her internship, Afsana now feels equipped to enter the world of work and is aware of her own strengths and weaknesses.
“I learned so much about myself and that I’m capable of so much more than I thought – it makes me feel assured about my future. Career Ready has given me an insight into life that I never would have had otherwise, and it’s taught me that I don’t need to limit myself to one specific job. There is so much out there in the world to learn and discover – I think everyone deserves to have this amazing experience.”
Get involved today and help more young people like Afsana reach their potential.
