Prioritise, persist and grow: top tips from our first event for early-career professionals
We recently kicked off Now What?, part of our Catalyst Connects programme, designed to support early-career Black female professionals facing big career questions. If you’re a university student or a few years into your career and ready to tackle your next career move, Catalyst Connects is for you! Sign up for our mailing list to be the first to hear about our next event. Our first event — I’ve Graduated… Now What? — featured two inspiring voices: Cindy Abu of Brentford FC, an early-career professional, and Carolyn Beckford Balogun, an experienced Career Coach and Consultant at Totum Partners. Together, they shared bold, practical tips for navigating career crossroads and creating your own path. Here are five top takeaways: 1. Put Yourself First Cindy shared her journey of wanting a career in sports—a path she knew she was passionate about. Sometimes, even close friends and family don’t fully understand our career choices, but if it’s truly important to you, prioritise your dreams and take the leap. 2. Find the value in each experience In breaking into the competitive football industry, Cindy initially shifted to rugby to build crucial skills in safeguarding This experience ultimately led to her player welfare role in football at a Premier League club. Her advice? Take paths that build relevant skills, even if they seem unconventional—every step counts. 3. Turn setbacks into stepping stones Building on Cindy’s experience, one attendee asked how to approach roles where they might feel overqualified. For instance, if you have a master’s degree and aspire to be a producer but are only offered a runner position—doing tasks like making teas and coffees on set—what should you do?Carolyn explained the importance of viewing each role as an opportunity to gain experience and demonstrate your commitment. Use these positions to learn and adapt, knowing they are stepping stones to your future success. Remember, it’s not forever; it’s simply a way to get your foot in the door. 4. Don’t be afraid to ask Carolyn’s advice: if you’re curious about a field, reach out to people already in it. People often love talking about their journeys, so don’t hesitate to ask questions on LinkedIn or in person. Curiosity and initiative can go a long way. 5. Always follow up Following up turns an introduction into a relationship. Carolyn highlighted how simple follow-ups—whether reaching out on LinkedIn after meeting someone at an event or asking for feedback post-interview—can create meaningful relationships. Taking the initiative shows your commitment, and people genuinely appreciate it. Remember: a follow-up can turn a “no” into a “not yet” and provide you with the insights you need to move forward. Let these tips help guide your next move, and remember: your career journey is yours to shape.
Our Insight Day at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors
On Tuesday 29th October, Irwin Mitchell Solicitors hosted a group of Catalyst mentees for a fantastic insight day to learn more about careers in law. Read on to hear more about the day from two of the attendees! On the 29th October, members of Catalyst Collective, including myself, went to Irwin Mitchell in Holborn in order to have an Insight day. Our day started with an introduction about Irwin Mitchell themselves, including learning about the members of their senior leadership team, and how all 6 of them (excluding group CEO Craig Marshall) are in charge of one of the various areas of law that Irwin Mitchell covers. We then got taken on a short tour around the offices, where we had the opportunity to see first-hand the different departments that each tackle different cases. We even had the luck of being there on the day of a bake sale, which was raising money for one of the 3 charities that Irwin Mitchell supports. After our tour and a short break, we heard from Leena and Charisse about medical negligence, and their journeys into Irwin Mitchell. Hearing both of their stories enabled me to really understand the different pathways in which you can make your way into law. Leena, having debated between journalism and law in her early years, is now a partner after working her way up all the way from associate. Charisse took a different route from Leena, and had taken the CILEX as an alternative. Both talks were very influential, as it showed that one doesn’t have to take the most common path into law – there are many alternatives which lead to amazing results! In the afternoon we split into 2 groups and carried out a debate regarding e-scooters, and whether they should remain or be rid of. Both groups were extremely passionate, and unfortunately for my group, there was only one winner – and it wasn’t us! The debate enabled us to extract information from multiple resources in order to create multiple arguments that could be used to our advantage. The debate finished, and we then heard from Angela Jackman, who is a KC – a barrister or solicitor who has been recognised for their excellent advocacy. She spoke to us about her journey and some incredibly influential cases she had succeeded in in the past. The main thing I learnt from this whole insight day, is that there isn’t just one pathway into the world of law. The people that kindly came in to share their experience, all got there in different ways – apprenticeships, training contracts, you name it! Taking a less traditional pathway can get you the same opportunities that a more known pathway into law can. You can also take time to learn what area of law you want to work in. There is an incredibly wide range of areas to choose from. Words by Christina, Year 13 On the 29th of October me and a group of girls made our way and participated in the Catalyst Collective: Irwin Mitchell Insight Day. Our day began with getting an overview of what we would be doing, which included hearing from staff about the different career journeys which led them to what they do today. After this, we began to get a detailed description of what Irwin Mitchell stands for. This included a tour of the office, which allowed us to ask different lawyers and staff within the firm what they specialise in, and how helping people within the law inspires them and enables them to think more intellectually about how other people’s situations can vary. After this, we heard from Leena and Charisse about the area of law that they specialise in: Medical Negligence. After a short lunch break, we were nicely led into a debate on E-Scooters, which gave us a chance to think intellectually with each other, using research and statistics in order to make a powerful and successful case. We then concluded the day with a compelling story from Angela Jackman KC (Hon) about her journey to the firm and the various achievements she gained along the way. This was fulfilling for all of us to hear, and most importantly it was encouraging to hear that one day all of us could achieve the same things. Going to the Irwin Insight Day made me aware of how many branches of law you are able to go into, and these are all equally rewarding in terms of whether you are personally helping a client, or helping businesses as a whole. Furthermore, as a woman of colour, Irwin Mitchell assured us multiple times that this would not put us at a disadvantage -only make us stronger throughout the process of becoming the lawyer that we want to be. Most importantly, it allowed me to learn just how important community is with your fellow lawyers, as well as your clients. Being truthful to them, and helping them in any way that we can is the way to know that you have gotten justice or clarity for the client. Overall, it was a brilliant day and a perfect overview of what goes on within a top law firm! Words by Claudia, Year 13 Thank you so much to the team at Irwin Mitchell for hosting us – the girls had a fabulous time and learnt so much!
From Mentee to Medicine!
Ernesta was part of our 2021 pilot cohort. We met her through Eastside Young Leaders’ Academy, one of our brilliant partner schools. Recently we got in touch with Ernesta to hear about her experiences working with her mentor, Nikita, and how the programme has helped her over the long term. A key foundation of a Catalyst mentoring relationship is that pairs develop SMART goals to work on throughout the year. On the programme, Ernesta was focused on improving her organisation. “When I started mentoring I was revising for my GCSE’s and struggling with organisation skills, which made revision difficult. Additionally, I was also preparing for boarding school and I knew that my lack of organisation would make this transition into boarding school difficult for me. So organisation became one of my main goals to ease the revision process and my transition into boarding school.” In working on her SMART goals, Ernesta really appreciated having someone to keep her accountable. “Regular check-ins helped me to keep focused on my goals. I also had mini goals that I would try to achieve between our check ins which helped me to make steady progress towards my bigger goals. If I wasn’t able to meet these mini goals [Nikita] would help me to figure out where I went wrong so that when I was approaching the goal again I had a better game plan in mind.” The mentoring pair developed a supportive and empowering mentoring relationship, with Ernesta remarking “I appreciated how invested Nikita was in my progress. It was like we were on a journey together, so whenever a goal was achieved, it felt like we achieved it together which made celebrations more meaningful!” After completing the programme, Ernesta made a successful transition to boarding school, commenting that “it was an amazing experience.” She found that the lessons she had learnt during mentoring were invaluable to her as she continued her academic journey. “One of the biggest lessons I learnt with my mentor was the importance of being kind to myself through taking breaks. In the past I would often ignore the importance of giving myself a chance to recharge which caused burn out. My mentor helped me to find activities that would give me a break from school work. Once I incorporated these into my schedule I noticed that I wouldn’t be burn out anymore which really helped to persevere with revision so that I could get better results.” Ernesta is currently enjoying the last month of her gap year before she starts university in September. She’ll be studying Medicine at University of Leicester. She would encourage others to “take full advantage” of the Catalyst programme, because it’s an “opportunity to get advice from wonderful people that have already been through a path similar to the one that you are going to take.” She also sees the value of the wider Catalyst network, explaining that, through getting to know other mentors and mentees on the programme, “you could end up benefiting from what [they] have also learnt.” Ernesta loved getting the opportunity to network at the end of year celebration, where she was also able to reflect on her growth throughout a year of mentoring. On her overall reflections on mentoring, Ernesta shared that “Mentoring gave me a really big confidence boost. It was one of the first times I decided to think about the goals that I wanted to achieve. So when I was able to achieve these goals it really gave me confidence that if I put my goals down on paper and make a loose plan for myself then I can always work towards my goals.”
Meet our Mentors: Marsha in Data Analytics
Currently working in Data, Marsha has seen first hand how Data and AI roles have skyrocketed with the evolution of Gen-AI. Here she gives insight into STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering and Maths), the importance of Data and the most-commonly held Data roles, and why she is so passionate about mentoring. Words by Marsha Castello For the love of all things Tech! Probably much like you I have always had a love for technology and the way things work! Growing up one of my favourite programmes was a TV show called “Click” which gave the rundown on all new technological devices and inventions shaping our world. Yet when I was a teen and deciding on my academic options, I never even considered studying computer science, despite my obvious love of this field. Why? Well, much like today it was mostly boys who chose Computer Science. If you looked at any tech or engineering class at college or university, you’d be lucky to find one girl, and that seemed very lonely and intimidating to me. Plus, for some reason I thought that it must be incredibly hard to learn, would require expertise at maths, and therefore would be boring. On top of all these assumptions, there was little information about the thousands of different roles in tech and STEM in general, or that maths is not required for all of them and neither, in fact, is coding! Girls were often not encouraged to study this field. There was an absence of freely available and accessible information and support to explore this unknown and seemingly intimidating territory. So, I left well alone and studied Economics and International studies for my undergraduate degree, and International Business and Development. I have many passions, including international affairs and development, but if I could send a message to my younger self, it would be – do not let fear of the unknown deter your path. In fact, there is only one approach you should take to the unknown, and that is to explore more about it and learn just how capable you are. I have managed to do this most recently! I have been certified in a range of STEM areas from Data Analytics and Project Management to Software Development/Engineering. I can now code in a wealth of computer languages, and do you want to know a secret? It really isn’t that hard! In fact, anything that someone else knows, you can learn too. How to Get Started Just start off small and at your comfort level, and keep consistently building on your knowledge – don’t expect to know everything at once. Master one thing at a time. For example, Python is a great coding language for beginners as it is the one most similar to the English language. It will teach you the fundamentals of coding and data structures, and once you are proficient in it, other coding languages become easier to follow! There are also so many free courses and communities to support you in exploring different areas of STEM, that simply were not available when I was at school. Some are just for girls! Check out: Girls into Coding, Stemettes, InnovateHer, Bright Network, FreeCodeCamp, Motivez, and Girls in Data! Coding Black Females occasionally offer free events and courses for teens too! Popular STEM careers include careers in Data, AI, Software Development/ Engineering, Mechanical/Robotics Engineers, Cybersecurity, Scientists, Researchers and many more! Explore more at Bright Network’s STEM hub and in this fantastic STEM Guide! Data, Data Everywhere! And why is Data so important you may ask? Well did you know that human beings generate 2.5 quintillion (that’s 2.5 followed by 18 zeros!) bytes worth of data each day? There are currently over 44 zettabytes (that’s 44 000,000,000,000,000,000,00 bits) of data in the entire digital universe! You will agree that that’s a lot of data! Data professionals like me, are needed to collect, clean, analyse, explore, and make sense of all this data. All jobs, activities, products, services, and processes generate data and this data needs to be processed and analysed. Data professionals are in high demand and data skills are invaluable to have. The emergence of Generative-AI also has an impact on the demand for data, as data is needed to feed into AI models so that they can work and fairly represent the whole of society. There are several job roles and careers in data, many of which have different titles yet intersect. I am trained in both Data Analytics and Data Science for example. The main data roles are Data Analyst, Data Engineer, and Data Scientist. There are several differences and overlap between these roles, as shown in the Venn diagram below: Essentially, a Data Analyst interprets data and presents their insights. Data Analysts extract, transfer and store data, removing any errors (cleaning) to ensure quality, reliability, and scalability, before examining the data to create reports and visualisations needed to make informed business decisions. For example, I currently produce several reports assessing the performance of my organisation’s products and the efficiency of the teams processing those products so that we can easily identify areas we are doing well and areas where improvement is needed. This is similar to if you wanted to assess which type of content goes viral on TikTok. You would collect data on the type of reels which generate the most views, likes, saves, comments, shares and downloads. You might ask what the viral reels had in common with each other – was it the length, content, content creator, time uploaded, trends followed, music included and so on. You would look for positive correlations between these variables and resulting engagement. You would present your findings in a report explaining your conclusions and recommendations based on your research on how to make a TikTok reel go viral. Your company could then use this information to sell/market products! Skills needed to be a Data Analyst include Advanced Excel, and in some cases coding languages such as SQL and Python to collect and process the data, along with data visualisation tools such as Tableau or PowerBI to illustrate your insights with charts and diagrams. A Data Engineer may be responsible for the design, building,
Diary of a Future Doctor: My Catalyst Work Experience!
This month’s blog was written by aspiring doctor and Catalyst collective mentee Caitlyn. Caitlyn shares her experience on work placement in a doctor’s surgery that was arranged by her mentor Judith. As aspiring medical students, we are constantly reminded of the importance of work experience. We are told how it will allow us to gain a personal insight into our future profession and how important it is for our personal statements. Through The Catalyst Collective, I met my lovely mentor Judith and thankfully she was able to provide me with work experience at her GP Surgery. On the first day of placement, I established that the surgery has many different roles that work together to ensure an efficient and smooth working environment. I worked and shadowed a wide range of jobs from receptionists to doctors. Whilst working in the reception I used computer software to log repeat prescriptions. This required me to be vigilant and alert as I had to distinguish between different medications and ensure that the correct requests were put through for the patients. From this, I learned that the surgery is a working system that relies on every person to complete their roles to the best of their abilities. It is important to acknowledge everyone’s role and work as a team to ensure that there is optimal functioning and that all the patients’ needs are met. I was also able to work with a social prescriber; where we discussed mental health inpatients and how social activities could benefit their physical and mental wellbeing. Although many patients come in with physical symptoms there may be underlying psychological or social issues that are consequently affecting their health. From a doctor’s point of view, it is important to know your limits when it comes to treating patients. By referring a patient to a social prescriber, it allows us to gain more information about things we may not be well informed about and reach a justified conclusion with others for proceeding with treatment. As I want to become a doctor, the most inspiring part of my work experience was shadowing one. I was able to do some home visits where I met and assessed a wide range of patients with various issues and helped administer treatment to manage symptoms from home. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most appointments were via telephone and doctors had to ensure that the patients’ health was prioritised despite not being able to see them face-to-face. Judith taught me that a good level of understanding for your patients is required to spread good and clear public health advice. Shadowing my mentor Judith was AMAZING, seeing an educated, talented black woman in the medical field inspired me further to pursue my dreams. It was nice to see a visual representation of what my future may look like as a doctor.
