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Young Difference Makers: Jas Rayat on how choosing an apprenticeship over university changed her career · Difference Makers Podcast

• 0:00
  Jaspreet Rayat: I hope that I am in a sphere where I'm doing something that I'm truly passionate about, particularly social mobility.
• 0:06
  Jaspreet Rayat: I never ever want someone's background to ever limit them achieving their potential.
• 0:11
  Jaspreet Rayat: Hi, I'm Jaz Rayat and I'm representing ICAW at the One Young World Summit in Munich, Germany.
• 0:24
  Jaspreet Rayat: So the way I got into chartered accountancy was at 18 I had an option of university or perhaps something else.
• 0:40
  Jaspreet Rayat: Now I always had an interest in numbers, in finance, how businesses work, and whenever you step out the door, you see you always see a business of some shape or kind, whether it's the small local salin or the multinational retailer around the corner.
• 0:57
  Jaspreet Rayat: So for me, seeing these businesses, it really made me curious as to what makes them work.
• 1:03
  Jaspreet Rayat: And I always saw finance as the spine to keep these companies standing up and strong.
• 1:08
  Jaspreet Rayat: Through that curiosity and through my interest in business, in numbers, accountancy seemed like a natural fit.
• 1:16
  Jaspreet Rayat: So at 18 I decided to explore an apprenticeship to get on-the-job experience to see what a career in accountancy would be like.
• 1:26
  Jaspreet Rayat: And it was on that apprenticeship that I really enjoyed it.
• 1:30
  Jaspreet Rayat: I also discovered that you can become a fully qualified chartered accountant through the apprenticeship route, which for me was an amazing discovery to find.
• 1:40
  Jaspreet Rayat: I knew that I wanted to be a chartered accountant during that time, and so I continued on the apprenticeship route all the way to becoming a chartered accountant with the ICIEWICE.
• 1:59
  Jaspreet Rayat: So when I was growing up, I didn't actually know anyone in my immediate circle who was a chartered accountant.
• 2:08
  Jaspreet Rayat: I didn't really have that career advice from the network around me.
• 2:15
  Jaspreet Rayat: It was through my own curiosity that I went out of my way to really try and explore accountancy and the route.
• 2:22
  Jaspreet Rayat: When I discovered that you can become a fully qualified chartered accountant and pursue this amazing career path that is rewarding in so many ways, it was almost like a penny drop.
• 2:33
  Jaspreet Rayat: And I thought, wow, so you're telling me that I can become a qualified accountant with all the credentials that are needed to be successful in that field without having to pursue another couple of years of education at university.
• 2:49
  Jaspreet Rayat: For me, that was amazing.
• 2:54
  Jaspreet Rayat: I was able to gain on-the-job experience in a field that I was truly interested in.
• 3:00
  Jaspreet Rayat: I gained an apprenticeship salary, and when I was actually working within accounting firms, we would have new joiners who had just finished their degrees.
• 3:12
  Jaspreet Rayat: However, I was a little bit further in my career, which was a great comfort to have that extra level of knowledge to really propel my career forwards.
• 3:23
  Jaspreet Rayat: And one of the biggest comforts and advantages was the fact that with an apprenticeship I had no student debt.
• 3:30
  Jaspreet Rayat: I'm not sure if I've ever attended such a motivational speech in my entire life.
• 4:07
  Jaspreet Rayat: They were truly moving, and they were from some legendary people.
• 4:11
  Jaspreet Rayat: We had Sir Bob Geldoff.
• 4:12
  Jaspreet Rayat: I particularly liked his speeches.
• 4:14
  Jaspreet Rayat: They were so raw and authentic, and you could tell that he was truly passionate about making a difference in the world, especially supporting one of the UN's sustainable development goals, which was world hunger.
• 4:28
  Jaspreet Rayat: I also really enjoyed a talk from Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Reza.
• 4:34
  Jaspreet Rayat: And she is an absolute warrior for information integrity, completely dissolving any uh bias out there, and the absolute courage, bravery, fortitude she has had to progress through some of the extreme hardships that have stood in her way to ensure that the right information reaches the public to stand up in the face of truth, despite risking her own life to do that.
• 5:02
  Jaspreet Rayat: That was remarkable to hear.
• 5:04
  Jaspreet Rayat: The fact that I heard that live in person from someone that extraordinary gives me goosebumps.
• 5:10
  Jaspreet Rayat: A key one that I remember from Sir Bob Geldoff was it is grit that makes the pearl.
• 5:43
  Jaspreet Rayat: And that was just a stark reminder of things aren't going to be easy, but if you put in the work, if you put in the effort and you just keep going, if you're truly passionate about something and you are working extremely hard to make it happen, you will see the results one day.
• 6:01
  Jaspreet Rayat: You will see the pearl.
• 6:02
  Jaspreet Rayat: So 10 years is a very long time away, but if I could look into the future, I hope that I am in a sphere where I'm doing something I'm truly passionate about, particularly social mobility, helping ensure that people from disadvantaged backgrounds do not miss out on opportunities to create success for themselves, to achieve their potentials, achieve their ambitions, and never be held back by the fact they didn't grow up in the right area or go to the most prestigious schools or they didn't have the right financial background.
• 6:39
  Jaspreet Rayat: I never ever want someone's background to ever limit them achieving their potential.
• 6:44
  Jaspreet Rayat: If I were to give some advice to young professionals wanting to create positive change, I would say just start.
• 6:52
  Jaspreet Rayat: There's never going to be a perfect moment.
• 6:55
  Jaspreet Rayat: You create the moment.
• 6:56
  Jaspreet Rayat: You just need to start.
• 6:58
  Jaspreet Rayat: When I started out and I gave my, I was on my first panel speaking to students, I truly never felt 100% ready.
• 7:06
  Jaspreet Rayat: I always felt like, oh, maybe I could prepare in a different way, or maybe there's something else I can do.
• 7:11
  Jaspreet Rayat: But in the end, I just went for it, I just did it, and it turned out perfect as it was because you make the moment you create it.
• 7:20
  Jaspreet Rayat: And something else I would add is reaching out to your network, maybe reaching out to friends for advice.
• 7:28
  Jaspreet Rayat: Sometimes you just need to start small, and the best advice can come from the most unexpected places.
• 7:36
  Jaspreet Rayat: Sometimes it can be just something simple as have you have you met so-and-so, or have you thought about maybe posting online, or have you thought about going onto this website, they've got a lot of resources.
• 7:45
  Jaspreet Rayat: So don't think that it has to be complicated to get started.
• 7:49
  Jaspreet Rayat: Just start in whatever way, shape, or form that may look like for you.
• 7:53
  Jaspreet Rayat: Whether that's researching online, whether that's speaking to your friends, whether that's speaking to someone in your organizations, just do something positive and start.
• 8:03
  Jaspreet Rayat: People who have gone through such adversity that it's unimaginable, and yet they've persevered to reach where they are today, to reach levels of success and do the almost impossible considering everything that they've been through.
• 8:23
  Jaspreet Rayat: That to me has been genuinely so inspiring and so uplifting and so motivational, and it's actually given me strength to think, wow, if they can do that, I can at least try and do something.
• 8:36
  Jaspreet Rayat: So when it comes to considering future endeavors from this program, I am absolutely empowered by all the stories I've heard, all the people I've met, and knowing that things are possible.
• 8:50
  Jaspreet Rayat: Things may not always be as hard as they seem, and I always remember that it is grit that makes the pearl.