Bridging the experience gap through an apprenticeship with Sage

For someone like me who is much older (35) with both an undergraduate and graduate degree, and who has worked within various industries as a project coordinator/manager, the last thing one would think to do is an Apprenticeship. However, that is exactly what I have done. In fact, I wish I had done the apprenticeship in place of my master’s because at least then I would not have added to my student loan debt – hah!

For as long as I can remember, the prospect of having a successful career has always been a goal of mine. Be that as it may, I wasn’t always sure what kind of area I’d have a successful career in. All I knew is that I love working with people, I am very creative, and I am a problem solver. I also knew that I wanted to be in some sort of leadership role at some point in my career.

Prior to Sage, I’d continuously been told that I didn’t qualify for managerial positions due to “a lack of experience” and it was no help that with a good chunk of previous roles being contractual, it was very hard to properly establish myself at work, let alone figure out how I would progress. I also found it challenging to get opportunities to work on projects external to my scope of work.

Doing an apprenticeship at Sage has allowed me to bridge the gap that I struggled to get over which was the ability to acquire new skills and experiences through getting to work on several different, challenging and remarkably interesting projects. Best of all, the opportunities for career growth at Sage are endless so I am pleased that I am finally in the right place for the fulfilment of my career ambitions.

It is bizarre now to think that when my mother first spoke to me about the possibility of applying for a management training apprenticeship at Sage, I was so unamused. I had initially felt as though doing an apprenticeship meant taking a step back which meant that I was letting myself down. In hindsight, I’m very thrilled that I decided to apply anyway. It is also quite funny that once upon a time, the role seemed boring to me. I mean how interesting can the world of accounting software be? Hmm… it is surprisingly more interesting that you would imagine!

Getting comfortable with the role, Product Marketing Manager (PMM) Apprentice, took several months especially because the Accountants Division is so complex. All the products and solutions we have looked and sounded the same to me. For a while, it all just did not make much sense and five months in, I was ready to throw in the towel on the apprenticeship. I felt as though I was taking this opportunity away from somebody else. It is thanks to the support from my course tutor, manager, and director, that I got encouraged to stay on. My manager even got me booked on a 10-week bootcamp course, which helped me immensely understand the world of a PMM. This is an example of how much Sage invests in its colleagues.

The community within this company is like no other! In previous roles, I would be nervous to ask for assistance or question certain processes. However, at Sage, it is drilled into you that:

1. you must always be your authentic self
2. no question is a silly question
3. there is no limit to the number of times you can ask for help
4. you need to challenge the system.

Our culture has enabled me to seize opportunities that have pushed me out of my comfort zone and gotten me very challenging but wildly interesting projects that have asserted my capabilities and reminded me of my potential. My experience at Sage has been refreshing.

Written by Product Marketing Manager, Hannah Worrall.