The end of the road

Friday brought about my final day with Stef, which being my third placement as the Apprentice, also marked my final day as the 2007 Graduate Apprentice.  Its been a long year, but a truly fantastic one, which has completely gone beyond all of my initial expectations.

I had two fantastic placements with Deloitte and LMM, and now can look back on what was another brilliant experience.  During the sixteen weeks with Stef, I worked on a huge range of projects, getting involved in the Big City Plan, working on Digital Media events as well as working with clients of 3Form.  However, the main project was Stef’s new idea, Odadeo.  Odadeo is all about Dads, its social network with a difference. Highly interactive and highly useful, I have been working with the beta testing Dads for the last few weeks, finding out what they want from the site, how they use it, and then turning it into development points for Stef to work on.  I’ve been writing legal documents, been coming up with ideas for our pitch, and recently, making video walkthroughs of various features, so that new users can see what the site is all about.

I’m very sad to be leaving Odadeo, I truly do think that its a fantastic idea, which will take off.  I hope to look back at the project in a few months and say that I was a part of it.  It could be the next big thing on the web.

But more than that, I have worked from Stef’s home over the last four months, and I’m thankful that Emily, Imogen and Stef allowed me into their home.  I have learnt so much, much more than I could have imagined that I would.  At times the work has been varied and difficult, but at all times its been the challenge and experience that I expected as the Graduate Apprentice.  Stef is a unique individual, creating ideas from nothing, and it was great to be part of that process.  I am sure that I am a more creative individual because of it.

I now head back to Deloitte, to being my life as a International Tax Associate.  I worked in the same department as the Apprentice, which is why I am sure that there will be people around to help me settle back in.  

Looking back on my year as the Graduate Apprentice is tough to do, I still haven’t quite come to terms with the fact that its no longer my role but I can say this.  As a new Graduate last June, I was lost, unsure of a career path and lacking direction.  I assumed that something would come up… well it did.  The Apprentice has given me a diverse range of business experience, its shown me career paths I never knew existed and taught me how to go about achieving what I want from life.  But more than that, I have had a year working with absolutely fantastic people, both directly and indirectly.  I have met people who are going to be key in the city for many years to come, and my hope is that I can also play my role in the years to come.  To my employers, Deloitte, LMM, and Odadeo, thank you.  There are too many individuals to mention, but I will be taking the time to individually email them all. 

So here’s to looking forward, and a new daily motto, Challenge Yourself… something I aim to do every day.

The End is Near

This week is my final week with Stef at Odadeo, and as such, the final week as the Graduate Apprentice. Mayur, who was selected back in June will soon be taking over the role, and I wish him the very best of luck. The scheme is an amazing opportunity, and I have complete confidence that Mayur will take it to new levels.  

There was an article in Tuesday’s post about the Apprentice, marking the beginning of Mayur’s year.

Top Five Things About Being the Graduate Apprentice

Being the Graduate Apprentice has been a unique, incredible experience, and one that has given me a fantastic opportunity to go on and achieve success.  Using 5alist, Stef and Andrew‘s most recent creation, I have attempted to list the top five things about the role I am about to hand on to Mayur.

Top 5 things about being the Graduate Apprentice

Make your own Top 5 list on 5alist

Graduates in Birmingham

Over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that a number of people have come across my blog using a Google search, namely the key words Graduate and Birmingham.  That has made me think a little bit.  What are they looking for? Do they want to know what its like to be a graduate living in the city? Do they want to find graduate jobs in Birmingham? I’m not sure.

I can however, offer my experience of being a graduate in Birmingham, as its actually something I have been asked about a lot this year in my role as the Apprentice.  Its probably best that I provide a little background first though.

I am not a true Brummie in that I was born and brought in in Devon, Torbay to be precise.  It is a great place to grow up, but in truth, the opportunities are somewhat limited.  I knew pretty early on that if I wanted to get on, I would have to move away.  It will always be home, but its home in a sense that its great to return to and catch up.  The pace of life is slower, some people like that, but I needed more going on.  I went to University at the other end of the country, in Durham, which again, was a brilliant experience.  I loved the collegiate system, and got involved in as many aspects of student life as I could.  My girlfriend, Laura, studied Law at Birmingham University, so my first experience of the city was through her.  When Laura was offered a training contract with Eversheds, we made the decision to move to the Midlands permanently, and I began my job search.  I was offered the Graduate Apprentice role in August of last year, and moved to the city the same month, so thats how I’m here.

Twelve months later, I have had time to really think about what it has been like to live and work in Birmingham.  If I had to pick one thing that has made the experience an truly positive one, then it would have to be the people.  I have been in a slightly fortunate position this year in that I have had contacts opened up for me through the Apprentice, but each and every one of them has been there to offer support and advice on my career path.

So what is it like to work here first of all? Well, pretty much all of the major professional service organisations have some presence within the West Midlands, so Graduates of all degree types come to the city each year.  However, Birmingham also has a vibrant creative community, lots of smaller organisations who bring so much to the city.  It is perhaps this creative and independent thinking which make up a significant part of the city’s personality.  They also make a significant £1bn contribution to the local economy.  The business community itself is small and closely connected, but its a much more open community than others that I have heard about or been part of.  Birmingham Future offer a number of ways to meet new people, as well as organisations such as Creative Republic who bring creative individuals together.  In terms of job prospects, the region continues to grow.  For me, Birmingham gives the opportunity to be a big fish in a small but significant pond, rather than get lost in the sheer number of graduates heading to London. 

Living in the city has also been a positive experience for me.  I think I have a great work life balance… I work hard, but there is still time and the ability to enjoy what the city has to offer.  We live within walking distance of the city centre, and the local nightlife, so its easy to pop out for dinner, or to meet friends for a drink after work.  The city is built around a working canal system, which means there are plenty of places to chill out by the water with some food, which is great for me, having been brought up by the sea!  The best thing is that living within walking distance of work does not cost us a fortune, and that is a key factor.  There is plenty of choice of accommodation, and its all close to where young professionals want and need to be,

Birmingham is a great place to live.  Sure I’m biased, I work and live here, but the fact is that I can choose to work and live here.  There are opportunities to get so much from the city, depending on how much you want to put in.  There are young professionals here who are passionate about what they do, on both a personal and professional level.  The personality of the city is a welcoming one, a diverse community with open doors.  If you want to get involved then you have the chance to be able to, its as simple as that.  

I’m told by many that the city has changed, but of course all I know is the new Birmingham.  Birmingham is evolving in my eyes, new buildings are going up all the time, and new people are finding out that it is a great place to be based.  Laura and I will be based here for many years to come, and I hope that I will be a part of the city for a long time… one thing is for sure, Birmingham does give me the opportunity to do so, and not everywhere can say that.

New Members Lunch

As part of my new role with Birmingham Future’s Membership Committee, I had the pleasure of attending the most recent new members lunch today.  The event is designed for all of the new members to Birmingham Future in the previous few months, basically a chance to meet some new faces over some sandwiches.  Matt Taylor, the Birmingham Future chair took five minutes to welcome everyone to the event and tell us about some of the things that the organisation are involved with under his reign.  It was a very well attended event, with about 40 people there, and was very kindly hosted by KPMG.

I met some great people who have just joined Future, and hopefully after hearing about the rather hectic but fantastic year that I have had, they will be keen to become a little more involved with what Future do.  My time as the Apprentice is almost at an end, but I will be continuing on the GIE committee and now as deputy chair of the membership committee, Birmingham Future is very much part of my involvement within the city.  

There are some key reasons for that, but perhaps the most prominent is the people that I get to meet and work with.  I have expanded my contact book beyond all belief this year, not only people that may be useful as a source of business in years to come, but people that I know I can call upon for their advice should the time come.  I’m going to be taking part in the Birmingham Half Marathon as part of the Future team just one example of the range of activities you can get involved with.  I have high aspirations, which are driven by being part of the city.  It if was not for Future, then I would actually be without a job… but the fact that eight or so people sat around a table 18 months ago, gave up their free time and effort and continued to run what is a fantastic opportunity for any Graduate, means that I now have a future to look forward to… excuse the pun.

So if you are reading this and you are not involved in Birmingham Future, but you think that it could be the right way to get ahead in your career and be part of this fantastic city, then I am here to tell you that assumption is correct! Find out a little more about what they do at their website… or drop me an email.

Talking Apprentice

As is probably quite clear to everyone reading the blog, the Apprentice programme is something that I am passionate about.  The opportunity it has given me is unrivaled and has put me in an incredible position to go on and achieve a lot within this great city.

As my time as the Apprentice draws to an end, its time to start reflecting on the fantastic year that I’ve had, and to start talking about the programme.  I had one such opportunity with Biz TV recently, part of the Aston University set-up.  They were kind enough to interview about how I got the role, my three placements and my plans going forward.  Please take a look at the link below to hear me talk about my time.

Jason Norris as the Graduate Apprentice

Activ8 Graduates

There are some points during my year as the Graduate Apprentice where I have had the opportunity to begin giving something back to the fantastic Birmingham Community that has welcomed me with such open arms.  This morning, I was invited to speak about my role as the Apprentice as part of a breakfast with Graduates and employers.  Its organised by Clarke Associates and Graduate Advantage, with breakfast provided this morning by the fantastic Hogarths Hotel.  It was a very rare occasion in-fact, the two groups mixing when neither of them were trying to recruit… a very refreshing alternative.

I had to follow Anthony McCourt, one of my mentors, and the current Birmingham Young Professional of the Year, and boy is he a tough act to follow.  Firstly, he is only a year older than me, but he has achieved an incredible amount, but secondly and importantly, he is a fantastic advocate of the city, and much like me, having moved to Birmingham from outside, is now a fully fledged ‘adopted Brummie’.

But this morning was all about the Graduates at the event, all of them who were keen to find out how they can begin to build their personal brand, and about how they can find a job within the city that they really enjoy.  Just by being there, they were already taking one step on this journey, and I was truly humbled to be there and talk about my journey so far.  I was delighted that they listened, and I hope that some of them found what I said useful.

So my year as the Apprentice is almost coming to an end… but there is a lot more I plan to do yet.  Its event’s like this morning make it all worthwhile, where I really feel proud to be part of this fantastic city.

Graduate Apprentice Press

A while ago I completed an interview for Real World magazine all about being the Graduate Apprentice! I am delighted to say that they were pleased with the interview and as such, I have been included on the website as one of their case studies… so please do take a look here.

As part of my continuing role with the Graduates Into Employment Committee, I am aiming to ensure that there is lot more press coverage of scheme over the coming months, its my chance to give something back to the people who have ultimately got me a job!  So expect to see Mayur, who will be up and blogging very soon, a lot more!

Interviewing The Next Apprentice

I always knew that my time as the Apprentice would come to an end, and that I would have to hand over the role to someone else.  That time is not quite upon me as yet, but we have chosen the person who will be taking on the challenge of being Birmingham Future’s Graduate Apprentice. 

Interviews were held on Friday 13th June, which could have been an omen, but I’m pleased to say that we had five fantastic candidates at the interview stage, a great representation of the Graduate talent that is currently available in the UK.  I was invited to form part of the presentation panel, along with some fellow members of the GIE Committee, where we asked each candidate to present to us on a topic that they felt strongly about.  Their range of topics chosen was varied and fantastic, and on more than one occasion the three of us on the panel allowed the presentations to slip slightly over the alloted three minutes so that we could hear more!

Following the presentation, we had a few questions just to get an idea of what drives each individual, and make our minds up as to how they would perform as the Apprentice 2008.  After this, we sent the five prospective Apprentice’s into the lions den, or the employers as we like to call them.  Here they were grilled in depth about their previous experience, their weaknesses and their ambitions… all those questions that someone fresh out of University hates!

But I am delighted to confirm that our chosen candidate impressed all on the day, and has since accepted the role for the coming year.  I am sure that you are going to hear a lot more about Mayur as his time comes around, and I hope that together we drive the scheme forward, continuing to show young professionals that Birmingham is the place to be.  

As an aside, it was a great learning experience to be part of my first interview panel, and I did learn a lot on the day about what it can be like.  I am sure that at some point during my coming work career, I will again be interviewed, and perhaps interview others, so its great to start building these skills early.  The Graduate Apprentice is all about building an impressive skill set to be able to succeed in any professional services role, and that is certainly what it has been to me.  I look forward to handing the baton to Mayur, who I am sure is going to do a fantastic job.

Digital Utopia… Or Is It?

I’m still pretty new on the social media scene, I’ve only been blogging for a little over two months, and before that, my only real exposure on the world wide web was Facebook.  But now I’m on Twitter, Flickr, Linkdin and a number of other sites which are all aimed at creating an online picture of what I do.  The discussion is however, just how far will this Digital Utopia go, and what challenges is it bringing to new business?

I’ve just come from the New Generation Arts Festival debate on this subject, where some industry experts were invited to share their thoughts on the ongoing development of the Internet, and its impact on their particular line of business.  It was also the first debate which I have attended which had a live Blog stream behind the speakers, with online followers able to ask questions and respond to the live commentary… that itself is just a sign of how the digital revolution is affecting our business.  I know in-fact that Stef was listening & watching from New York, something which five years ago no-one would have thought possible.

The main focus of the debate was about power, namely where power now lies in the media relationship.  Is the power with the individual who is now able to create and upload their own content, promote everything from their own music to their political ideas, as well as being able to share news and stories from around the world that otherwise may not get coverage.  Does this take the power away from the traditional forms of media, the newspapers and TV stations that have previously filtered content? The increased level of choice for the consumer of information means that with a simple search online, you can find information about anything you want.  You can also get real life, up to the minute conversation on particular events, rather than waiting until it has been edited for TV or print.  But does this increased choice actually mean more power for the individuals?

A very good point was made by the panel in that once you give someone too much choice, they actually become disinterested in all of the information available.  Giving someone hundreds of sources of information makes it very difficult for an individual to quickly identify the information that they want, and that is relevant to them.  Here in lies the source of power for the traditional types of media which we are use to.  By using the trust of a brand, such as the Birmingham Post, who can bring together these new sources of information, filter them and allow easy access, the traditional forms of media can retain their power.  So perhaps the Digital Revolution has redistributed the power, but to both parties.  The challenge is for the new forms of media to embrace the new media out there, and to use the opportunity to expand into new markets. 

The panel were made up of Rory Cellan-Jones, of the BBC, who acted as the debate chair, and raised some interesting questions about the development of online media.  Chris Cooke talked about the development of the 1990 generation, those individuals who have been brought up on the Digital Revolution, and who are now the ones in the ideal position to shape it going forward.  He was highly optimistic about this potential development, and had high hopes for the future of digital media.  Joanna Geary of the Birmingham Post was a great advocate for how the traditional forms of media must embrace the change, using the trust in such brands to filter information through the new forms of information sourcing.  She was fearful, but optimistic that her industry could and would adapt.  Doug Williams, of BT, talked about how going forward service providers will offer the ability for individuals to be actively involved in the outcomes of new media, encouraging a much more ‘interactive’ user experience.  Finally Anthony Rose informed us all how the BBC are being driven by new media, hitting home on the point that more information can lead to more misery, and its up to service providers, such as the BBC, to provide new ways of giving people what they want.

So where is the future? Digital Utopia, in my opinion, is not quite upon us.  However, it can not be ignored that the current generation have a huge resource in terms of the internet, a resource which can be used for many purposes.  There is clearly a role for both the individual and the big business in this new market place, and with more choice, it will be up to business to develop a trust with the consumer when filtering information, and for the indviduals to continue to provide fresh, factual and interesting content.

We live in interesting times, and while I was not quite a 90’s child, I’m certainly looking forward to the developments ahead!  I’m the first Graduate Apprentice to blog my year, the first of many I hope.