At 16, I gave up on education. Technically, my father’s fault.
I liked rock music and wanted a guitar. My dad told me that it was summer and if I wanted a guitar, I should get a summer job to pay for it like everybody else had to. So, what do you do at 16 when you have no actual job experience apart from that week’s work experience at a local opticians? You do part time data entry making £4.40 an hour (more money than you know what to do with when you live at home with no responsibilities and no car to pay for).
The problem with that is once you’ve been a 16-year-old with actual money, who wants to go back to school? So, I fell into a job. An office junior job at a law firm. I was making tea and taking the post, but I was also making even more money than at my part time summer job. I felt indestructible.
However, the thing about falling into a job is that you can get pigeonholed. Which I did. My legal career lasted for 25 years, and I thought I had made it. The seniority went up, the money went up, but so did the stress and the burnout. I hit 40 and noticed that I had started to lose the love for my hobbies and knew something had to change. In February 2025 I was sat in the garden of my parents’ villa in Spain, when I made the decision to start over again.
“I knew that there were entry level jobs out there, but who would take the tired and burned out 40-year-old over the excitable and energetic young people who were coming out of school, all bright eyed and bushy tailed?
So, the big question. What to do? Law is great but when you work in Wills and Probate, there are not a lot of opportunities to side step into other areas. I also was not sure that doing similar work for a charity or a Government department would help with my state of mind. However, I knew I had transferable skills and one other thing that was completely mine. I am a gamer, and a nerd. I love computers. Again, my father’s fault. I recall the days of playing games with him very fondly. Ok, so, I suppose tech is the answer, right? The problem with that is how do you take that dream and turn it into reality?
I knew that there were entry level jobs out there, but who would take the tired and burned out 40-year-old over the excitable and energetic young people who were coming out of school, all bright eyed and bushy tailed?
For a little while, I didn’t know that apprenticeships were open to people of my age. I assumed there was an upper age limit, so I wasn’t looking into them. After the realisation that they were an option for me, inspiration came via LinkedIn and a job advert for a Systems Engineer Apprentice role at Compare the Market. Once I knew they were an option, the application was sent in immediately. However, the concern about being too old remained and I spent most of the application process worrying about how successful I would be. All the while, I kept getting emails and calls about moving on to the next stage, so I just kept focusing on how I could make myself visible and set myself apart from the pack. Job hunting is hard, right? Every position ends up with hundreds of applicants and the chances were slim. Try not to dwell on what sounded like a really cool opportunity, try not to build yourself up, in case your hopes end up being dashed.
“What a brilliant concept though, right? Get a job, be paid, learn a skill and come out with a qualification to boot? 10/10. Wherever you are in your career or your life, it’s never too late to change, and an apprenticeship may well be answer.
I still recall seeing the missed call on my mobile after coming back from a client meeting and the feeling at the pit of my stomach. Daring to hope but trying to keep expectations low. Perhaps it wasn’t a good phone call? Perhaps I fell at the final hurdle of second interview?
I passed my probation in December 2025. I told my Line Manager how much I loved the job and how much I loved working at Compare the Market. He said that one of their major concerns for me when they made the offer was that I would arrive and realise that it wasn’t what I thought. That I would regret my decision and not enjoy the role. Turns out there was no need to worry about any of it. I am happier now than I have been at any time in my legal career, and it is all as a result of the apprenticeship scheme (and some serendipitous timing).
What a brilliant concept though, right? Get a job, be paid, learn a skill and come out with a qualification to boot? 10/10. Wherever you are in your career or your life, it’s never too late to change, and an apprenticeship may well be answer.
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