I’m Aimee Hodgkinson and I’m currently an apprentice in Digital Marketing. I work at Space HR where I have the role of Marketing Executive. Space HR is a start-up which means we have a small number of staff. Because of this my responsibilities extend outside of the ‘typical’ digital marketer.

Mainly, I’m responsible for managing and creating content for our social media channels. These are: LinkedIn (mainly as we are a B2B company); Instagram; Twitter and soon-to-be: TikTok. I keep up to date with what’s trending and try to jump in on any conversations that might be happening in our industry. I also manage the socials of a podcast, ‘HR Director’s Cut’. My role is very similar here.

One of my favourite things to do is write blogs. The content of these blogs is usually related to our industry, although I also have a ‘Diary of an Apprentice’ series where I document how I’m getting on as an apprentice at Space HR. Along with blogs and socials, I often help the CEO with client meetings and reports.

I had been going back and forth between going to university or doing an apprenticeship since I had my first career meeting in high school. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised I didn’t want to go to uni. Living in accommodation, away from home, along with the 3 extra years of classroom learning wasn’t appealing to me at all.

The thing that caught my eye when it came to apprenticeships was the interactive learning combined with the structured working environment. I was excited to instantly apply what I had learnt in lessons to my everyday working life. I also knew the experience that came with apprenticeships would benefit me.

In the future I hope to have my own digital marketing team. I want to be able to spend my day being creative and producing content that I enjoy. I’d love to have an apprentice of my own so I can show them where I went wrong and help another person on their career journey.

My biggest tip for when you receive your results is to not get caught up in the grade. This can be extremely hard to do as results feel like the biggest of deals. In the moment, they are. But I can safely say that my grades haven’t affected where I am today. I got where I am through dedication and perseverance.

Whether you get the best grades, the worst grades or average grades, there are always other opportunities. Just because your original plan didn’t work out, that doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Look for plan B or plan C. Ask for help from friends, family, teachers, or someone who is in the industry you want to get into. Odds are, they know someone who’s hiring, or they can give you advice.

Results day is a really hard time for a lot of people. Remember you’re not alone. The people around you want to see you succeed.