Experience as an ‘older’ graduate - In celebration of National Graduate Week

This article has been created by Mollie Turner, who joined us a Graduate Content Designer just a few weeks ago. Mollie came to us from a non-tech background, proving that you really can do anything, if you set your mind to it!

Mollie has hit the ground running in her role, and we are excited to see where her journey at Sage takes her!

I came to Sage in a very roundabout way. I’m not from a tech background at all, having studied Modern Languages at Newcastle University, where I first graduated in 2016. Throughout and just after my degree, I spent two years living in Germany and France, where I studied and worked respectively. I loved living abroad, but I had fallen in love with Newcastle and knew that was where I wanted to be based. I moved back to the city and initially got a job in hospitality, which was a lot of fun, apart from the late nights and weekend shifts!

In 2017, I trained to become a teacher and then I worked teaching in secondary schools for three years. I really enjoyed working with and helping young people and discovered a passion for creating educational resources for my students, but teaching was very challenging. I had almost no work-life balance and very little time for family and friends, which I found very difficult.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, like lots of people, I had time to reflect. I rediscovered lots of my hobbies and passions, so I decided that although teaching was very rewarding and I loved making a difference, it might not necessarily be the right choice for me. I had always wanted to do a master’s at some point, so I went back to university to study for an MA in translation. I enjoyed throwing myself into my studies again (and of course experiencing student life for one more year!), but importantly it gave me time to think about my future.

I knew I wanted a new challenge, so I started looking into graduate roles, but as an ‘older’ graduate with some professional experience, I wasn’t sure whether a graduate scheme would be appropriate for me. I came across the role of Graduate Content Designer at Sage, and I have to admit I was a little bit intimidated at first, as my background in creative subjects and education felt very different to my understanding of a software company. I did some research and became more and more interested in the role and the company, so I decided to go for it!

I really liked the idea of taking skills and interests I already have and applying them to something new to me, learning about a new industry along the way. My understanding of language, my writing skills, my ability to teach and inform an audience, and the confidence and communication skills I’ve built up over the years will be really helpful as I navigate and learn my new role.

I’m only in my third week on the Graduate program at Sage, and I’m really enjoying it so far. I already feel like I’ve learnt so much, and everyone I’ve met has been super friendly and supportive! I love that I’m able to use the skills I already have while learning lots of new things, and I’m excited that I can still do my bit to help customers and make a difference in the community as part of my career.

Mollie Turner, Graduate Content Designer