Who am I and why have I created this blog? To be quite honest with you, I am your average human being and this blog was created on the whim that I could reach out to others like me. It is quite simply an outlet. My name is Zulaikha, I am 18 years young, a Muslim, a British Pakistani, a fitness fanatic, a wanderer, a foodie, a lover of travel and culture, a book worm, a social butterfly and that is just to name a few.
This blog was created with the scintilla that I want to reach out to others and let them know it will be OKAY. Life is a journey and the sooner we embrace that, the happier we all can be. Had you told me a year ago I would be working in accounts and finance in an office, I would have laughed and told you "I HATE MATHS". With that being said, allow me to tell you a little about my adventure so far.
I have 4 sisters who are my bestest friends and 2 younger brothers- I am the middle child and it isn't all that bad. I live in a small town where not much happens and not many people make it, that being said, it is home for me and it has shaped my being. I live with my parents who are of a Pakistani origin and whilst there are aspects of my culture I adore, I cannot stand some of the backwards mentality that comes with it. I went to an all girls secondary school and it was not bitchy as everyone would believe it to be. I studied and sat 9 GCSE's: mathematics, english language, english literature, dance, additional science, core science, history, business studies and religious studies. I passed all 9 and had never been happier- I honestly thought I would fail history, science and maths! Upon receiving my results, I decided to leave my secondary school and go into 6th form at a different school. Initially, I enrolled with a grammar school, however, my application was rejected and so I went to a standard comprehensive school. This was the best decision ever.
I already had friends in the 6th form so mingling wasn't an issue. I studied 4 AS Levels and 3 A Levels- psychology (AS), english literature, philosophy and ethics and sociology (the love of my life). I loved my teachers and liked the subjects, it was pretty easy going. Year 13 hit and UCAS deadlines were upon us. It didn't take me long to figure out what I was going to study at university, it was always going to be law. I loved debating and writing and my skills set just seemed best suited to a career in law. I spent hours researching solicitor's and the path taken to get there. I was sure I would pursue law. After pondering over university fees and another 3 years sitting in a lecture hall, I decided I wouldn't go to university. I was sick of education and would find an alternative means to accessing a career in law. I applied to legal apprenticeships (I highly recommend this, please let me know if you want a blog post solely on the apprenticeships) and got interviews at ITV, Kennedy's and many more. I was lucky, I was among the minority to be interviewed out of the thousands that had applied. I never got the apprenticeships and after a while it became draining. I couldn't help but notice it was always the middle class white girl/boy that landed the job, but, that is an issue for another day. I decided I would go back to university as a last resort because I so badly wanted a career in law and so I did. I went to university to study Law with Criminal Justice (LLB) with 200 other students, I made rigorous notes, attended all lectures and seminars and after 3 months, I dropped out. That's right, I am a drop out and I am so thankful for it! I won't go into details as this is for another post, but, university and grades are not the be all and end all. Fast forward, I spent 3 months figuring out what I want to do with my life and came out of these 3 months none the wiser. I found an apprenticeship in business admin, worked for 3 months and wrote my resignation letter.I was ready to go back to uni. The work was not challenging and I knew I was capable of more. Upon receiving my letter, my boss decided to take me on as a fulltime employee doing finance and accounts. So here I am. 18, working full time, studying my ACCA, training to be an accountant all whilst trying to travel and live life to the fullest.
As you can see, it is all a bit of a jumble. I have never been decisive and my journey so far has taught me that you don't always need to be. Sometimes we just need to take the signs given to us and allow something great to occur. It can be scary dropping out and straying from what everyone else does, but it is OKAY. Success is not a one way street and those brave enough to take their own path will end up on top and most importantly, they will achieve happiness- the greatest result of them all.
This blog was created with the scintilla that I want to reach out to others and let them know it will be OKAY. Life is a journey and the sooner we embrace that, the happier we all can be. Had you told me a year ago I would be working in accounts and finance in an office, I would have laughed and told you "I HATE MATHS". With that being said, allow me to tell you a little about my adventure so far.
I have 4 sisters who are my bestest friends and 2 younger brothers- I am the middle child and it isn't all that bad. I live in a small town where not much happens and not many people make it, that being said, it is home for me and it has shaped my being. I live with my parents who are of a Pakistani origin and whilst there are aspects of my culture I adore, I cannot stand some of the backwards mentality that comes with it. I went to an all girls secondary school and it was not bitchy as everyone would believe it to be. I studied and sat 9 GCSE's: mathematics, english language, english literature, dance, additional science, core science, history, business studies and religious studies. I passed all 9 and had never been happier- I honestly thought I would fail history, science and maths! Upon receiving my results, I decided to leave my secondary school and go into 6th form at a different school. Initially, I enrolled with a grammar school, however, my application was rejected and so I went to a standard comprehensive school. This was the best decision ever.
I already had friends in the 6th form so mingling wasn't an issue. I studied 4 AS Levels and 3 A Levels- psychology (AS), english literature, philosophy and ethics and sociology (the love of my life). I loved my teachers and liked the subjects, it was pretty easy going. Year 13 hit and UCAS deadlines were upon us. It didn't take me long to figure out what I was going to study at university, it was always going to be law. I loved debating and writing and my skills set just seemed best suited to a career in law. I spent hours researching solicitor's and the path taken to get there. I was sure I would pursue law. After pondering over university fees and another 3 years sitting in a lecture hall, I decided I wouldn't go to university. I was sick of education and would find an alternative means to accessing a career in law. I applied to legal apprenticeships (I highly recommend this, please let me know if you want a blog post solely on the apprenticeships) and got interviews at ITV, Kennedy's and many more. I was lucky, I was among the minority to be interviewed out of the thousands that had applied. I never got the apprenticeships and after a while it became draining. I couldn't help but notice it was always the middle class white girl/boy that landed the job, but, that is an issue for another day. I decided I would go back to university as a last resort because I so badly wanted a career in law and so I did. I went to university to study Law with Criminal Justice (LLB) with 200 other students, I made rigorous notes, attended all lectures and seminars and after 3 months, I dropped out. That's right, I am a drop out and I am so thankful for it! I won't go into details as this is for another post, but, university and grades are not the be all and end all. Fast forward, I spent 3 months figuring out what I want to do with my life and came out of these 3 months none the wiser. I found an apprenticeship in business admin, worked for 3 months and wrote my resignation letter.I was ready to go back to uni. The work was not challenging and I knew I was capable of more. Upon receiving my letter, my boss decided to take me on as a fulltime employee doing finance and accounts. So here I am. 18, working full time, studying my ACCA, training to be an accountant all whilst trying to travel and live life to the fullest.
As you can see, it is all a bit of a jumble. I have never been decisive and my journey so far has taught me that you don't always need to be. Sometimes we just need to take the signs given to us and allow something great to occur. It can be scary dropping out and straying from what everyone else does, but it is OKAY. Success is not a one way street and those brave enough to take their own path will end up on top and most importantly, they will achieve happiness- the greatest result of them all.
Masha Allah, More life more strength. Make use of the first opportunities that comes your way.
ReplyDelete