Growing up my understanding of the workplace was that it is a source of income and a place separate from personal life. Being the first person in my family to graduate from University, I didn’t have enough guidance to understand that the personal and work spheres could have positive effect on each other.
Fresh out of university with not much guidance on how to navigate my way into the workforce, I spent a lot of time naively focusing my efforts on the wrong roles. After entering the work sphere, I quickly realised that I had disregarded my personal needs or the personal skills I had which I could apply to a role I would truly enjoy. So, I went from role to role and from one industry to another collecting skills and experiences, not really understanding how to make the most of them.
My search for something that would fit my skills and personal needs within a workspace wasn’t always fruitful. Luckily, my search cookies picked up on this and redirected me to an account on Instagram that aimed to connect black people from all industries and allow young black people to benefit from other professionals’ experiences. I attended 2 webinars hosted by BYP and that was when I began to understand how to navigate towards a role or an organisation that would be fit for me.
At Hearst I learned that the workplace can be anything you make of it. It could be a safe space to explore social changes you’d like to see, a place you can create communities for like-minded people and enjoy sharing non-work-related activities or even a place where you can ask for help and guidance on personal matters. I’m ever so grateful for BYP and all the work they do- it makes it possible for so many young black people to see so much effort put into making their futures better and where their potential can be better appreciated.
To discover more opportunities at Hearst UK, visit the Employer Profile page here!
