My name is Rory Dunlop and I recently started as a Modern Apprentice (Digital Marketing) in the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh.
Arriving on my first day, I was quite nervous to say the least. I grew up in a very rural area in the Scottish Borders where there are probably more sheep than people! Looking up at the tall towers and huge building, the butterflies in my stomach began to flutter like never before.
How did I get here?!?
During my sixth year of high school I wasn’t too sure about what I wanted to do in the future. I had good qualifications and exam results. It seemed as if College or University was my only option. However, I wasn’t too keen on the idea. Apprenticeships were mentioned at school and as I am a more hands-on (kinaesthetic) learner, on-the-job training seemed more appealing than sitting in a classroom again.
When I found the Apprenticeship posts that the University of Edinburgh was advertising, I applied for them straight away. I was lucky enough to be chosen to interview for the Digital Marketing Apprenticeship at the School of Divinity. After the interview I felt quite pleased with how it had gone (unlike others before!). I was about to start my journey as ‘New to New College’.
First day nerves
Even though I had met most of the staff before at the interview, I had never done anything like this in my life and I was nervous about how it would be in this new environment, with new people and new tasks. When I arrived, I had the same ideas that almost everyone gets when they enter a new place for the first time. ‘What if I get lost?’ was the key one. I still couldn’t get over how huge the building looked from the outside but in reality, the inside was pretty easy to navigate around.
Induction
I was reintroduced and introduced to staff and briefed with all the information I could ever need, getting a full induction. I was given handbooks, a university username (UUN), keys, an ID card and I was also informed about all sorts of processes and procedures.
I gradually relaxed as I began to settle into the environment within the shared office. I wasn’t given a heap load of work right away but was introduced slowly to all the programmes and software that I would use. Within days, I was receiving and responding to emails, taking photos and filming, operating different software and gaining new skills and achievements.
What do I think of it so far?
The work has been challenging – however, not impossible. I’ve been able to do new tasks that are both fun and varied and always keep me interested, making me want to try and do even more. I never thought that I would be this excited over working.
It wasn’t long before the adjustment period felt like a myth I had just created in my head. Although there were a few moments where I got lost and didn’t know quite what to do, my colleagues were always there for me and let me know exactly what I should do whenever I needed it, helping me to settle in well and quickly.
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