How Mentoring and Work Experience Taught Samuel the Skills he Needed to Land a Job.
We recently caught up with Samuel who joined the Urban Synergy e-mentoring programme at the beginning of 2022. Since then Samuel completed the e-mentoring programme and secured summer work experience at Credit Suisse.
Thanks to his hard work and dedication, Samuel will be attending Salford University to study Computer Science!
Tell us about your experience as part of the Urban Synergy e-mentoring programme.
"I first heard about urban synergy from Leila Thomas, Founder and CEO. We met at a Mind charity shop. I was a volunteer looking for a job and Leila was a customer. Leila asked if I had any work experience other than the charity shop and I said no, and so she recommended that I sign up on the Urban Synergy website.
The best parts of the e-mentoring programme were the goal setting, writing a CV and the mock interview. These are the key skills I needed to land a job."
That’s fantastic! Tell us more about your work experience with Credit Suisse. What was it like?
“At Credit Suisse I met professionals working in finance and other roles relevant to my career interests, such as Data Analysts and Software Developers. There was a presentation session for which we researched how to tackle environmental problems. It involved hours of research to sift through invalid ideas until we found suitable ones.
Credit Suisse was my first work experience, and I am grateful for the skills and knowledge I have picked up."
How did you feel at the end of your work experience compared to the beginning?
“I feel I have made a lot of friends during my work experience. I was shy when I started, but now I feel more confident."
The Reward of Being a Mentor
Duncan, Lead Gameplay & AI Programmer at PlayStation joined Urban Synergy as a volunteer Role Model and Mentor back in 2021. Duncan was matched with Samuel as a Mentor, working with him to inspire, guide and ignite Samuel’s career ambitions.
“Working with Samuel has been a pleasure and a great learning experience for us both. It’s good to venture outside the comfort of experienced workers, putting yourself in the shoes of somebody else beginning their journey and giving them a helping hand, it can be rewarding and provides a whole new perspective on work and the modern world.”