Read our latest blog written by Communications Assistant, Sadie Cole.

In September 2019, I folded away my waitressing apron for the last time. I had just informed my boss of my decision to leave due to an ongoing illness which was exacerbated by chemicals I was required to work with. Suddenly confronted with the reality of unemployment, I spent the next 3 months in a rut. I was itching to build my career and live the life which it seemed my peers were living, yet I was uncertain about which direction to take.

Soon enough, December arrived and I was faced with the possibility of entering 2020 having made no career progression nor having earnt any money for several months. I was soon going to be graduating with my masters degree, and I wanted to put all that I had learnt to a more relevant use.

I must have spent weeks twiddling my thumbs, frantically googling and making mind-maps, trying so desperately to plot out a plan embedded with some sense of career direction, hoping to have a light bulb moment. I can safely say that the light bulb moment did not happen. I really had no idea what field I wanted to go into, but I knew that I loved research, writing and working with people. I have a friend who works in PR, and one day she began telling me about her job – it sounded fascinating. From then on, I knew that I had to at least give the world of PR a go.

I emailed the MKPR team on a whim, enquiring about doing some work experience. Sure enough, they were kind enough to take me on board for two weeks and show me the ropes. What surprised me the most about my work experience was the areas I ended up being most interested in. Initially, I had myself down for being more invested in consumer PR. However, I quickly realised that I had a budding interest in legal PR, and that this was an avenue I was keen to explore further.

Following my two weeks with MK, I knew that I had discovered something special. I was fortunate enough to join the team as a communications assistant in January of this year. The past two months have given me more time to discover what areas of PR I love. Particularly, writing witness appeals and liability admission press releases are an aspect I find fascinating, and I can’t wait to keep discovering new areas of interest.

At the centre of my journey, from feeling lost with no sense of direction, to now working with a team of incredible and supportive women, was my work experience. More broadly speaking, the act of putting myself out there; the opportunities I acquired were never going to simply come to me, I had to actively seek them out. To this end, I would strongly encourage anyone who is contemplating undertaking work experience to absolutely go for it – you never know where you might find yourself at the end of it.