Putting yourself out there can feel uncomfortable, but that’s where growth happens. It’s easy to stick with what you know, but stepping into the unknown is how you learn and expand your skills. For example, when I applied for the EY Degree Apprenticeship, I was nervous about putting myself in such a competitive environment. But the challenge of the application process pushed me to improve my skills, prepare thoroughly, and stay focused. While it was tough at times, the sense of achievement when I received the offer was unforgettable. Overcoming challenges like that builds confidence and shows you what you’re capable of. The more you embrace discomfort, the more you realize how much you can grow.

You must embrace continuous learning as it ensures relevance in a rapidly evolving work landscape. This will allow you to increase your technical expertise and commercial awareness - both pivot to success. By improving your technical expertise, your work will be seen as more accurate and reliable. By increasing your commercial expertise, you will be able to take that one step further and decide which analyses to do at what time and what the output of an analysis actually means for a business. Networking is also extremely useful. There are so many things we don't know we don't know, but just a simple conversation with an experienced individuals can save you years of mistakes. They can provide guidance and deliver a roadmap as they can see the path you need to take when you aren't even aware of the next step. Similarly, reading and taking courses are very powerful as this allows you to consume decades of knowledge in just a few hours...

Match your values to the company that you are applying to and make sure both what they do within work projects and outside of this engages your interests so that you have the motivation to develop yourself professionally and personally throughout your career journey. It will always present much more positively if you are truly excited and enjoy what you will do in your daily role.