Life as a young apprentice in a global pandemic

Joining Wavemaker at the age of 17 was a daunting yet exciting opportunity for me. As one of the youngest applicants and considering my only previous professional work experience lay in coffee shops, I assumed I’d be overlooked. But despite this, I was offered the opportunity to join WPP agency in October 2019.

Over a year into my role, I’m feeling very reflective. I’ve been blown away by the amazing opportunities I’ve had. I’ve gained so much confidence, both in my work and myself, and wanted to share my experience. But first, back to where it all started…

Why media?

I’ve had a strong interest in media and advertising for a long time now. From setting up an art-based social account from a young age, I grew quickly fascinated by the way the algorithms sorted and served content.

In primary school I taught myself to code and by secondary school, I was learning how to build websites alongside my schoolwork. But I’d never had the opportunity to pursue this interest professionally.

After completing my GCSE’s, I knew an apprenticeship in digital marketing was the next step for me. I wanted an opportunity to put my learnings into practice in a real working environment.

When offered the position at Wavemaker, it was a completely new world to me. I’d never worked in an office before, let alone experienced a daily commute! Navigating the railway network in Manchester is a skill in itself!

Life at Wavemaker

My first few weeks in the office consisted of training and introductions, and I loved every second of it. I sat in a four-person team, surrounded by three incredibly talented people who were on-hand to support me whenever I needed it.

My role predominantly revolved around Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Before I knew it, I knew how to conduct technical website health and site speed audits and schema structured data opportunity and implementation audits. I was worked with a variety of people, surrounded by some of the best minds in the industry.

Everything has been incredibly surreal. I didn’t just become part of a global agency; I became part of a family. Supported by everyone, regardless of background or age, they really do push each other to reach their potential and keep growing.

Although challenging, I knew I could lean on my team to help me with my work. I learned so much in such a small amount of time. Putting the knowledge I’d gained in my early years into practice helped me develop the confidence I needed to grow.

Saying goodbye to the working life I’d grown to love

After a short while of adjusting to the “normal” office life, everything changed.

The coronavirus pandemic hit the UK, and suddenly everyone was working from their homes. No more meetings in person. No more laughs in the office. But biggest change of all, no more team members surrounding me.

Nobody was there to look over at my screen at a moment’s notice when I was struggling, or to answer the questions that I had as problems arose. It was a massive culture shock, one I thought that I would never adjust to. But I soon realised that I was wrong about that…

Immediately after the transition to remote working, the regular company meetings were replaced by Microsoft-Teams equivalents. I soon realised that the people I came to know and trust to help were just on the other end of the phone. It hasn’t been the same as face-to-face meetings, but this is as close as we can get, and that is good enough.

Coping with the pandemic

Lockdown obviously took its toll on personal lives. We were pulled away from our loved ones and our normal routines.

The world of marketing also experienced drastic changes. Campaigns came to holt, budgets were reassessed, and online activity changed dramatically. As a result, many of the projects I was working on for my apprenticeship either had to be cancelled or were changed.

This was quite a stressful time and being stuck at home had an impact on people’s mental health. Uncertainty can be a hard situation to deal with, especially in such a fast-paced environment. I was extremely fortunate to be working with people that cared and looked out for me.

The care provided wasn’t just about work performance. I was blown away with the care and consideration given to my mental health, motivation and fitness, and social interaction. Initiatives such as the Wavemaker Workouts (a teams-led workout led by a professional instructor in order to promote exercise and health), the Running/Cycling/Walking distance challenge (to raise money for charity), and the Brainwaves challenges (to bring people together to share their lockdown stories and activities), created an inclusive and healthy environment for everyone in the agency. They gave everyone something fun and exciting to get involved with if they wanted to.

Seeing everyone come together despite the dire world situation really highlighted the fact that this was one of the best opportunities I could have possibly been offered. I received all the perks of working for a global agency – learning from the best and gaining a very wide range of knowledge and experience – while also feeling like part of a family, with the charity fundraisers and group activities.

I’ve a strong foundation set for my future. For anyone, especially young, interested in starting their career in this industry I would recommend this route. Not only have I gained significant knowledge and experience, it has been a life changing experience for me. I will treasure the memories and training that I received for the rest of my life.

No matter what happens in the future, I’m glad I started my journey here.

Written by Jasmine Jackson, Organic Performance Apprentice at Wavemaker North