I joined PA as an Analyst on the Strategy & Analytics graduate rotational scheme in September 2022. My first rotation was in Data Science where I got to explore different types of data sets, and analyse them on programmes such as Python, Power BI, SQL and Microsoft Azure.
I am now in Asset Management for my second rotation, still honing in on my technical skills working as a front-end developer for transport client National Highways on the Digital Resilience and Wargaming Programme.
Whilst I’m still quite early into my career and not pinned down to a specific industry yet, I’ve enjoyed having the opportunity to work with a variety of clients in different industries. Since September I’ve worked within Health and Life Sciences, Energy and Utilities, Public Services and now in Transport.
It has helped me to discover what type of work I’m interested / not interested in, and what I want to focus on going forward in my career. I’ve also really enjoyed the different events and activities hosted through Life at PA and the other networks - I’ve picked up tennis since joining PA and have also helped organise some volunteering events through the Racial Inclusion and Social Equity (RISE) network.
My biggest challenge so far has been learning how to manage my time and being honest with myself about how much I can take on. When I first started on the graduate scheme, I was excited and keen to get stuck in, so I found myself saying yes to anything and everything outside of project work. Eventually this became very overwhelming, and I found it difficult to juggle everything all at once.
That’s when I realised that I need to be selective about what I say yes to and be realistic with time frame to ensure I can complete them to a good standard. At first it was difficult to say no to things, but I’ve now learnt what type of activities I value more and actually want to spend time on.
My advice would be to not close yourself off to a specific industry/ capability yet. You might already have an idea of what you want to do when you start which is great but be open to other opportunities.
The beauty of this graduate scheme is that you can try so many new and different things, and you may find yourself interested in something that you didn’t know about before. You have many years ahead to specialise, so make the most of this experience while you can!
