Unlocking Your Career Potential Featuring Insights from Jeffrey Manso

Join us in this engaging episode of 'The Student Guide' where we explore the power of self-awareness, persistence, and networking in shaping a successful career. Featuring career coach and youth advocate Jeffrey Manso, this discussion highlights their unique journeys, the impact of LinkedIn and the pandemic on career planning, and the importance of supportive communities.  We delve into the challenges and strategies of career planning, especially amid the pandemic, and highlight the importance of persistence and proactive networking. Additionally, we address youth work and advocacy, emphasising self-belief and community involvement. Packed with practical advice, motivational stories, and ways to support the Pick Up The Mic channel, this episode is a must-watch for anyone contemplating their professional future.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction and Purpose of the Episode
• 1:15 Meet Jeffrey: Career Coach and Keynote Speaker
• 2:20 Jeffrey's Journey: From Student to Career Coach
• 13:22 Navigating Career Challenges and Finding Your Path
• 19:56 Impact of the Pandemic on Student Careers
• 24:06 Leveraging University Resources and Networking
• 29:24 BetterHelp Sponsorship and Mental Health Resources
• 31:13 Success Stories from Coaching Sessions
• 33:50 The Importance of Understanding Your Values
• 34:32 Leveraging LinkedIn for Career Growth
• 36:51 Engagement on Social Media Platforms
• 41:08 Advice for Students Feeling Lost
• 44:03 The Origin of 'Pick Up The Mic'
• 48:34 Encouraging Students to Pursue Their Dreams
• 52:22 Closing Remarks and Future Plans

Transcript

  So also one thing as well, especially as students as well, is that sometimes we may hear a story like this and think, okay, I need to take this exact path that this person has taken that  what works for someone may not necessarily work for you. But it's all about that self awareness. If you know, if you're aware of the different paths that different people have to take, it can give you an idea on maybe the things that you have to do as well. 

Hello everyone. Hope you're doing well. Hope you're looking after yourselves. Welcome to another episode of the student guide where we come together. We discuss important topics relevant to you, our wonderful audience, whether it's to do with personal professional development, whether it's to do with raising awareness on diversity, equity and inclusion, whether it is just learning more about organisations that can support you in your creative endeavours. 

We like to bring these people and these organizations to light and let you know a bit more about them. Uh, we've got another great guest speaker today. Uh, funnily enough, uh, a namesake. Uh, it is rare for me to find another Geoffrey. Uh, but I have. I've found another Geoffrey. Uh, we're gonna hear more from Geoffrey today, so this is gonna be fun. 

But yeah, uh, as you know, I don't like doing introductions. So instead, I'm going to hand over to Geoffrey to introduce himself. Geoffrey, thank you for coming on to the show. Could we know a bit more about you and what you do? 

Thank you, Geoffrey.  Feels a bit awkward, innit?  Yeah, so my name is Geoffrey. I'm a Career coach.

I'm a keynote speaker and also a facilitator as well. So I go to schools and universities to help students find directions in the careers that they want to go into as well. So all about helping them on their career path as well. And I teach them professional skills. So these could be areas such as LinkedIn.

It could be networking. It could be professional emailing, professional etiquette, anything to sort of help them gain those extra skills to help them become more career ready. That's literally what I'm about. 

Oh, perfect. Thank you. And yeah, I think especially like our audience are predominantly students.

So this will be a good episode for them. And particularly at the time of recording, um, you know, it's coming up to graduation. A lot of students will be thinking about next steps. Uh, we will, don't worry, you know, you might be thinking, how can I get in touch with Jeffrey? How can I get all the details? Uh, we will be sharing that at the very end.

So don't worry, you will be able to connect with Jeffrey directly. Um, but yeah, we're going to dive into the first question, which is all about your journey. Um, I think it'd be really interesting for us to know. about your journey. What could you tell us essentially about your journey to becoming a student career coach and particularly what's, um, inspired you to start great coaching?

Greatness coaching. 

Wow. Um, so my journey is quite a long one as well. So I guess I'll take it back to how my life was as a student as well. Because if students are watching this I don't want them to be seeing who I am today and, and thinking, right, I can't relate. I think it's important to sort of  tell them about what I've been doing before as well.

So I guess I'll say growing up in secondary school, you know, how fortunately was the victim in school. I got heavily bullied as well. So as you can imagine, school wasn't really a great experience for me as well. So instead of me. You know, coming in to learn it was more about, you know, coming into survive as well.

So, you know, that was quite difficult. And also it put me a point where I almost was like questioning myself whether,  you know,  was just a little trigger warning. Just.  I was questioning whether I really wanted to be here as well. So that was quite, um, you know, traumatic at the time as well. But, um, yeah, eventually got over that as well.

Well, since I finished secondary school, that was it. You know, my secondary school had a sixth form. They're asking, uh, does anyone want to stay with me? I'm like, nah, I'm done.  Five years, I'm, I'm gone. So, um, Done with secondary school, went sixth form as well. I was there for about three years and then went to university as well.

Studied business management, did that for four years, which included a placement year as well. Got a 2. 1 as well. And then afterwards, I literally just started to, you know, be on a journey of like, you know, figuring myself out as well, because, you know, sometimes the students, you know, we do a particular course at university and thinking, okay, if we do this particular degree,  the career path that has been explained to us from that degree, we think we've got to pursue it as well.

But then there's something different from actually, you know, thinking about doing something and actually doing it as well. It's a whole different ball game as well. And sometimes you don't really know if you really should be doing something unless you actually do it as well. So  as part of my, um, transition, I started working in finance roles as well, you know, processing invoices, you know, making payments, looking after looking at, um, credit cards as well.

And. I just felt like, you know what, maths was my favourite subject as well, like, working on numbers, I thought that's something that I really want to do as well, but then it just got to a point where I was just getting, you know, bored and fed up as well, and I remember before, like, you know, even when I started  working as well, like, you know, to be a whole university graduate, but starting in university.

Yeah. with a 19, 000 like salary, like it was painful as well. Like, and then processing invoices where photographers were invoicing 50, 000 for three days of work. I was like, what  my life is rubbish, but I need to go like, I was like, nah, but this is some joke team, but so I was like, you know, what,  let me just find a way to just move forward as well.

So of course, 2020, you know,  lockdown, you know. That was like the first time I had so much thinking in my mind, like, you know, you know, normally you're just busy as well. You wake up, work, have dinner, sleep, like, lockdown just gave me so much time in my head. I was like, Hey, I've got so much time to think.

But I said to myself that, you know what,  this lockdown is not going to be forever. So let me use this time to try and work on my career as well. And then that's when I realized that, you know what, like, I don't really like this kind of finance stuff as well. Like I know some people who do finance, they enjoy it.

But for me.  it's not working as well. So that's when I sort of stopped. And then I went into the, um,  you know, the creative side as well, working in advertising as well, doing social media advertising roles as well. And also, um, a role called paid search, which involves, you know, promoting, um,  promoting ads on Google search as well.

So I thought, okay, that seems cool as well. But then, um, In the midst of doing that as well, I just started to like experiencing the council as well. So, um, obviously I don't know if this is a faith podcast, but I'm a person of faith as well. So, you know, God really like putting in my heart to like pull into people as well.

So you can imagine like during the lockdown, like I was one speaking life into people as well, making a difference into others as well. And I just started to become so passionate about people just started to just have this fire just to help people as well. And I used to get so much fulfillment. Amen. I'm helping people and I still do to this day.

And I said that, you know what? I actually want to do something that allows me to just live out my purpose, live out something that I love. And that's how I stumbled across coaching. So I went to do a coaching credit qualification as well. So that was about in 2022. Did that for about four months and become a qualified coach as well.

And then after it just started to offer my services, um, yeah. Out to my LinkedIn contacts as well, and also my phone book as well, you know, helping different people, you know, find ways to transition into new careers or how to grow within their careers as well. I was also helping business owners of content creation ideas as well.

So as you know, today we've got chat GBT. So everyone's, everyone's using chat DBT to be asking all these questions. But before I was just. My mind was just going like, wow, I was giving idea after idea, and I said that, you know what, like, let me start organization, like, you know, actually want to start a business lab.

And yeah, she started greatness coaching as well. And then one of the ways that allows me to sort of, um, Again, traction and green interest from different people is that I utilize LinkedIn as well. So that's something that, um, I know students you'll be watching.  LinkedIn is definitely one of the biggest platforms that you have to be on as well.

I know you might have your TikTok Instagram  as well. I mean, I recently joined TikTok as well. We make you want to videos as well. So it's been doing well. LinkedIn is literally what you need as well, because with LinkedIn, I literally was posting content and creating content as well. And that's a key thing about LinkedIn, because, you know, sometimes when you think about LinkedIn, people just see the platform as, Oh, LinkedIn is all about jobs.

You have to wear your suit and tie, but literally some people treat LinkedIn like it's an Instagram. Some people talk about politics. Some people talk about their kids. Some people talk about, um, racism. Some people talk about football. They talk about anything as well. But for me, I was focusing on like careers.

I was focusing on networking and linked in as well. And then from there I started to attract opportunities. I started to get different people reaching out to me as well. And I also was able to, you know, Find opportunities where I can partner with different organizations to go into schools as well. And so that was kind of like my way in as well.

I was like, you know what, schools is something that, you know, God's putting in my heart that I need to do. So how can I find a way to get in as well? So that's when I found vacancies for roles to work with schools as well. So that's when I got in. That's how I got in as well. Also went back to Mars six phone to do a talk as well.

And then from there, I started to go to different networking events, you know, just, you know, sell myself as well. Talking about who I am, what I do, getting linked in contacts as well. And just being in a position where I'm just having several meetings every class, I think in a week. One time I'll think I haven't had about 20 meetings, like back to back, just speaking, introducing myself as well.

And sometimes it just got to a point where I was like, this is a bit a lot, you know, like the fact that I'm just trying to like speak to so many different people. But at the end of the day, I said that, you know what, there's a goal that I want to achieve. I want to be able to make a difference in other people's lives.

So I understand that not everything's going to be nice and fair with it. Sometimes it's going to be a difficult process as well. But let me use something that's actually a strength of mine, which is like. being a people's person, connecting with people. So I said that, you know what, let me keep speaking to people because eventually as I begin to gain clarity on what I actually want to do, eventually I'm going to be able to sort of like gain direction as well.

So  upon starting, I didn't 100 percent know what I was doing, but I said that, you know what, let me be obedient. Like God's been in my heart. Let me start and start. And then over time, that's when I realized that, hold on,  actually I'm cool to young people as well. So, um,  That's something I discovered as well that I discovered that with young people, what I'm going to do is, you know, empower them as well by talking about careers as well, helping them work out what they actually want to do as well, because, you know, a lot of young people have dreams as well, but it's almost like they don't really know how to sort of make that happen as well. 

I sort of, um, will go into schools, do coaching sessions as well, speak to the students as well. And yeah, that's literally how I just stumbled across, um, you know, finding that direction that, you know, what six on students, universities, and also organizations as well, whether it's that print apprenticeships or graduates really speaking to them as well.

And, you know, really just teaching them and just, you know, You know, teaching them the skills of LinkedIn, teaching the skills of networking and really just like empowering them and just getting them to believe in themselves as well. Because if they could change the way that they view themselves and change the way that they view the world that they live in as well, eventually things will change as well.

Because sometimes someone can take a job from you, you may lose some money, but if you have that relentless mindset where you're going to do whatever it takes to get to where you need to be, then nothing's going to stop you as well. And that's just even something that I even told a lot of students as well, any student watching this as well, like, you know,  never ever like let someone take away your confidence or take away your power as well.

If someone takes away the power to control how your life is going to be, it's going to go in a different direction as well. Always keep believing in yourself. And even if things are hard, just know that eventually the breakthrough that you're looking for is going to come as well. 

No, thank you very much.

Yeah, I think some of the key key things that I highlight from that is I think one as you mentioned, uh, you know, we always talk about placements on podcast. Uh, we actually got an episode on placements. Definitely check out. Um, but we do highlight the importance of doing placements because it can both help you find a career that you're very interested in doing, but it can also help you learn a career that you're interested in.

Um, but I think as well, like some of the stuff you were mentioning on, um, you know, encouraging people to like follow their dreams, uh, being able to like test things, doing things that you actually enjoy. I think that's something that for a lot of people, they don't think is possible or they don't think, you know, they can do.

But I think as you mentioned, like both of your story, both with sort of the work that you're doing, um, um, It's very clear that, you know, that is the case. We always tell people that, you know, through the podcast, you can sort of like follow your passion, follow your dreams. You can try new things, try new careers.

Um, we definitely sort of like highlight as well that, you know, there is no sort of like one strict path that you have to go to. So if you studied math, you don't necessarily have to go straight into being a mathematician or an accountant. Um, yeah. It's all about like thinking about, so I guess for me, um, and particularly with my family, like the big thing that they said when picking my degree and also like what I wanted to do eventually when I did my masters was like essentially what do you want to, there should be a link between what you're interested in, what you believe that you're, you know, you're called to do and you're going to work on.

Um, and then like bringing all of that into like, sort of like one synergy that you're sort of like finding an area that you're like very passionate about. Um, but you're also interested in learning more about, um, so yeah, so thank you very much for that. We're going to go to the next question, which is, uh, about challenges.

So, uh, we're going to start this with my check, which, uh, uh, if you don't know, my check is an interesting fact or figure or story relevant to the conversation that we're having. Uh, so the interesting fact is according to the UK office of national statistics, uh, graduates in the UK have an employment rate of 86.

7%, which is significantly.  significantly higher than the employment rate for non graduates. Um, however, just to clarify with this, while the employment rate for being a graduate is higher than being a non graduate, um, so if you're a non graduate, the employment rate is 70. 4%. However, um, it is key to note that that doesn't necessarily mean that navigating through the job is easy.

market or finding the right career for you is any easier just because the percentages are in your favor for being a graduate. So linking with that, what are some of the challenges that students face when trying to gain clarity on their career paths? And how do you help them to overcome these obstacles?

Yeah. So I guess one of the challenges that they may have is that there's just too many options, like, you know, sometimes when it's like one or two choices that you have to make, it could be easier, but then  when you look at the internet, so many job opportunities, you see so many different things, like students are exposed to so many  different, um, job roles out there.

Sometimes it could be a bit confusing as well. So I guess the, the main thing that you have to think about as well, especially if you're a student is, you know, what's the one thing that you actually love? Like, yeah. What's the one thing that you actually love doing as well? Like, do you love coding? Do you love designing?

Do you love making videos? Do you? You know, you do something like myself where you love speaking as well,  identified that first and then also do research to see if there's anyone out there who does something that you desire to do as well and then reach out to them and ask them questions about how they got into that career as well.

So when navigating the job search as well, um, from from trying to make the transition from the financial sector to advertising and then from advertising to higher education, um, I literally reached out to different people on LinkedIn as well. So I looked at job titles that I had an interest in being in, and then I typed in those job titles, filtered it to people on LinkedIn, found some people connected with them, and then asked them a question as well about, okay, what's it like working in this world, but also why the challenges as well, because, you know, sometimes we look at job roles, every job has got to advertise their role as the best thing ever as well.

But  you also have to know that With every job, if everything that you do is going to come with challenges, but the benefits of a role needs to be able to, um,  be much better than the challenges as well. So when you reach out to them, you can say,  Hey, if the person's name is John, Hey, John, um, I hope you're doing well.

It's great to connect with you on LinkedIn as well. My name is Jeffrey. Um, I'm looking to become a videographer in the media production industry as well. Um, would it be possible to get 30 minutes of your time to find out more information about the work that you do? And, you know, any tips on how I can, you know, break into this industry as well.

And then sometimes what happens is that some people, um, You may not necessarily get a call with them, but they actually will send you like lengthy paragraphs as well, information, resources, websites, things to check out. Maybe some courses as well. Some people will give you about  30 minutes of their time as well.

They may give you the email address as well. And that's also something to be mindful of. As well, like, if you're trying to book meetings with someone, don't ask them to set the meeting up because  you need them. They don't really need you as well. You have to be proactive and ask for the email addresses, set it up in a, you know, you can even do something like Google Meet to save money, put in Google Meet,  create the link, send it to them for, Agreed time and they have a chat with them as well.

And then also think about questions to ask them as well. So look at their LinkedIn profile, look at the different things that they've been doing over the years. And if there's someone where they post a lot of stuff on LinkedIn, look at what they're posting as well. And then ask them questions about, okay, how do you go about studying?

Say, like, for example, history, how do you go from studying History university to now being a videographer. Now, what decisions did you have to make as well? What, what path do you had to take in order to be in this position as well? Did you have any support, any mentorships as well? And then what they will do is that they will share their story.

They talk about, you know, what they do as well, how they got there as well, and any different advice as well. So also one thing as well, especially as students as well, is that sometimes we may hear a story like this and think, okay, I need to take this exact path that this person has taken. That  what works for someone may not necessarily work for you, but it's all about that self awareness if you know, if you're aware of the different paths that different people have to take, it can give you an idea on maybe the things that you have to do as well.

So maybe you have to take on extra courses. You know, maybe you have to go to more events to meet different people as well. Maybe you have to try and, you know, create some sort of portfolio as well, which means like, you know, having to start doing a lot of free work. And I know sometimes as students, you don't want to do stuff for free because it's kind of like, you know, I deserve to get paid, which of course, you know, you do deserve to get paid because let's be honest that we know, you know, I guess they call it the cost of living crisis as well.

You know, everyone needs money as well, but sometimes, you know, if you're  You know, break into an industry that you never worked in. If you're trying to become someone that you've never been, if you're trying to get to a place where everything is new, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to get to where you need to be as well.

Because every great person that you admire on the internet, they had to start off doing things for free. When I started my journey, I had to do things for free. And there was some points where I just hated it. I was like, nah, I deserve to get paid. But I said that, you know what? I'm Let me build my portfolio.

Let me build my confidence as well, because sometimes when you're testing something, you don't really know if you're actually good at it, or you don't really know if this is something that you should do as well. So when you're testing something for free,  that's, that's a good thing as well, because during those testing times, that's when you learn information as well.

I'm sure for yourself podcast as well. I'm sure at some point you didn't really know if podcast was for you as well until you started to test it, fine tune it as well. And then boom, now podcast is your thing as well. So as long as you put yourself in a position where you. You know, you test you practice.

That's when you  actually will figure out whether something is for you as well. Because if you keep just thinking about in your mind,  you're not going to get out. So sometimes you can think about it for as long as you like. But until you actually take action, be practical, then you won't know. So that's that's a way that I'll say that you can overcome challenges.

Perfect. Thank you very much. And yeah, that kind of links to our next question. Because, um, You know, you spoke about the pandemic. Obviously, the pandemic, uh, pandemic had like a huge impact on  a wide range of different fields. Uh, particularly education was one of the ones that was very affected because you had students, uh, you know, even to this day that, uh, you know, the whole six form experience or the whole university experience was basically online or, you know, uh, hybrids towards the end.

Um, but yeah, we'd like to discuss, uh, particularly because as a podcast network, you know, we started out during The pandemic in 2021. Um, and we were highlighting resources that could help students with a personal professional development. Um, so we would like to know how the pandemic impacted students career paths and their career planning and development.

But then also what strategies do you suggest for students to take when it comes to navigating these changes? 

Um, I guess how is impacted? Um, During the pandemic is like they've had a totally different experience than everyone else as well. So I was fortunate to have face to face sessions, face to face lectures at university and almost get that same experience.

But then with students, you know, having to do lessons on zoom, having to do lessons on teams, you know, we have to pay like what on average, what 9k  for university. It's going to feel like a, it's going to feel like a waste of time. It's going to feel like a bump as well. So, um, Yes, that kind of thing will kind of make some students feel like, you know what, maybe being in education is a waste of time as well.

But I believe that no matter what you study as well, there's always something that you can gain from it as well. Even if it might not be your degree, there could be some opportunities at universities as well, whether through different societies, different events, different departments as well. So one thing I would say is, you know, be on LinkedIn as a student as well.

Do research as well. And, you know, look at different things out there that you can possibly do from your degree as well. And then also think about the things that you're also good at as well. And something that you see yourself doing for your career as well. So the more you can start doing research on LinkedIn, looking at what's out there as well, also start looking at events as well that you can attend, whether it is online or in person, and then attending these events, looking at the guest as well.

And not just Any kind of event where you see,  um, investors, entrepreneurs,  you know, professionals, you want to  a focus event event that's focused in the industry that you want to go into as well. So if you're interested in tech, You want to be able to find a tech event to go into as well. So if you're someone in London, there's loads of tech events as well.

You go to that specific event,  you know, speak with the event organizers, speak with it with some of the speakers as well. And then, yeah, just ask them questions as well. Just tell them what what you do as well. And also just ask if there's an opportunity to have a chat with them to see how you can, um, You know,  get advice from it from their journey as well.

And, you know, sometimes if you really play your cards right, you can literally get mentorship as well. But the only way someone could be, um, the only way someone can agree  for that mentorship to happen is that they need to see some sort of desire from you. If they see that you have a good attitude, you have a passion to learn as well.

You're teachable, you're trainable as well. Someone can literally be do that and be like, you know what? Yeah. I'm gonna take 30 minutes of my time, you know, even if it's like once every month to help you as well. So that's something that, um, I'll, I'll encourage students as well. Definitely, you know, just be proactive as well.

You know, do research, ask loads of questions, be curious as well. The more curious that you are, um, the more it's going to help you as well. If you, if, you know, you see some information that you're not sure of as well, find someone that works in that industry or that particular job role, and then ask them, um, you know, Okay, I found this in I found this article.

It says such and such a search. Is this true? What was your thoughts as well? I think the more that you can reach out to get those answers that the more it's gonna help you 

Yeah, 100 percent and I think  to just run a few things you mentioned there. So we have so we'll go into a bit later You'll find out who the MC of the month is for this episode. 

But yeah, we have previously said like We are emcees of the month has been linked in because we said, especially as a young like person, whether you're at university or not, LinkedIn is a powerful tool to not only connect with people, as you said, find a career advancement, but also took a sort of mentorship, uh, internship opportunities, uh, apprentice opportunities, like all there's loads of opportunities you can find on LinkedIn.

Um, but we've also mentioned, you know, to relate it to. both to Brunel but also to any university. Universities do have like their own, um,  like educational, professional development centers. So like Brunel is called the PDC. So the Brunel professional development center, they offer a lot of schemes and programs to support students.

So they have a placement team, they have a graduate team that supports graduates for up to three years. A lot of students don't remember that. But yes, if you're coming up to graduation or you've just graduated. You do get that support for your CV, cover letters, interviews, three years after you graduated, um, your universe, most universities have the three year thing in place and have a team that specialize with that.

Again, I only know about Brunel because, um, that's the place that I went to. But Brunel's team is really good at sort of offering that advice and support. Um, So, yeah, I definitely recommend that. And also, as you mentioned, with, like, speaking to people in industry. So, for example, um, to relate it back to pick up the mic and the business, we have a, so one of our interns, Ramazan,  um, we met at a, uh, so we did a three year celebration in April.

where, um, you know, uh, he, so we had a, we partnered with the, so they're called the Brunel summer internship program. They offer like internships for first year students within organizations. It's like a paid internship thing. Um, and yeah, Ramzan attended the event. He wanted to know a bit more about pick up the mic.

Uh, he's interested in podcasting and wanted to sort of like speak to people. me to find out a bit more about that. He did. Uh, and lo and behold, um, you know, based off that conversation and obviously like for the interview, like he was interviewed, it wasn't like, I will clarify, it was not nepotism that like, just because of that, he immediately got the job.

But yeah, he, he just like, it was, I think the key thing to sort of like highlight was, as you mentioned, because he reached out, he spoke, he came to that event and spoke, shared his passion and enthusiasm for learning about wanting to learn about podcasting world. That, that was something that, you know, as a employer, I guess.

Um, yeah, well, I was just like, this is really interesting to see. You didn't have to necessarily do that. Um, and it's the same with our other intern that we've got called Josh, um, who he at the moment is like, uh, you know, he wants to learn about the space of videography. He wants to gain that support and that knowledge within sort of like building up his professional and personal portfolio.

Um, so he's actively like looking to learn about how he can gain that craft. So I guess the sort of like. Summarize  question and like my point, um, get involved with like as a student, you should definitely get involved with the schemes. The university runs definitely if you're first year student. So you're listening in and you're about to sort of become a first year student at university.

Do please listen out. Check out what your universities that you're either applying for. Obviously, at the time of the recording in July. So yeah. results aren't out yet. Um, but yeah, do keep an eye out of the universities are applying for. What do their universities offer that can help you with your personal professional development?

Because, like, for example, the Bruno one,  as I mentioned, because it gives you that, like, natural part of you've got the visa program that offers support. If you're a first year student, you've got the placement scheme that supports you if you want to do summer internships, summer placement or year placement.

And then you've got that graduate support afterwards. It's almost like you've got that Follow through route that you can take as a student. So by the time of graduation, you've already maybe got like if you've done the basic program and the summer internship program and maybe done a year internship, you've got at least three organizations you worked in, which are varying sizes that you can sort of showcase a wide breadth of knowledge.

So when you've graduated, you've actually got like  It might not be that three years, but you've got like three different organizations you've worked in, whereas some people may only have only worked in one organization. Some people may have never worked in an organization, but coming out with that experience is really good for your personal, professional development.

So, um, so, yeah, I definitely recommend to check out all of those. 

And it's quite amazing. I was up with the two interns that you mentioned as well. The fact that they were proactive, they were asking questions, they really. They're passionate. They have some sort of desire. You was able to feed off that and give them up an opportunity as well.

And that's also my message for students as well. You know, they'll just come and then be like, Oh, can I get a job? Can you hire me?  Like come with some sort of like interests that come with like a willingness to learn as well, because that's what someone can use and give you everything you need. Are you really willing to learn?

Are you teachable? Are you coachable? Are you, are you trainable as well? Are you willing to listen as well? Are you willing to take instructions? Are you willing to learn the game? Are you looking, are you looking to, you know, learn about the industry? The environment that you want to go into the industry that you want to go into.

Are you going to study the kings and queens in your industry as well? Who have been running it for decades have and they're on top of the game as well. Are you willing to soak in all of that information just to help you to grow as well? Because once you have that, trust me, the right person will come and help you as well, because there's no way you'd be so passionate.

So does so.  ambitious. You go to so many different places and no one's gonna, no one's gonna feel it. Someone will feel it. And then someone will give you that opportunity of honesty. 

It's really important to us to pick up the mic. And we love to share resources that can support your mental health. And that's why we are so glad to have today's sponsor.

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So again, that's betterhelp. com slash pick up the mic, M I C, uh, and start your journey today.  So yeah, we come to the second last question. Um, and I think this is a really important one because it's all about success stories. Uh, and for the people who've been watching the podcast for some time, they may know that we talk about the, you know, the idea of like success from failure and sharing our advice on that.

So I'd be really interesting to know, could you share some success stories, uh, students who have transformed their career outlooks through your coaching sessions? 

Oh yeah. So, um, I do have an example of, um, some sessions I was doing before with a.  where they were looking to start a, um, a beauty brand as well.

So like, um, doing makeup as well. So, um, of course I don't do makeup, I don't wear makeup as well, but I do understand, um, the creative side of what you have to visually do as well. So what I was doing is I'll just give them like, you know, different content ideas as well, different things that they should think about as well.

So. you know, making sure that, you know, not only do you have pictures of like the after look of how the makeup looks on your client, but also just taking them through a process as well. Because if you're able to take them up through a process of, of the before and after as well, that also plays a part in, you know, someone really seeing how you work as well.

And then from there, they're eventually going to be able to, you know, work with you. be interested in what you do as well, because a lot of surface based businesses, what you have to do is that you have to, you know, be able to sort of showcase some of the things that you do online as well. So the more that you can put videos out there, the more you can put content  is more evidence of the work that you do as well.

So I was recommending like Instagram, I was recommending, um, TikTok as well to sort of be on as well. And then, um, Um, as I was giving ideas on content that you should create as well, also showed a different names of people who are, you know,  Dominate, almost like dominating this industry. Like, you know, they got, they're one of the highest paid, you know, they got so much traction.

I told them, you know, just follow them as well and just study them. Look at the content that they post as well. Look at how they interact with the audience. Look at the things that they do as well, because, you know, sometimes with marketing as well, like, you know, If you actually take time to analyze someone's page, you can learn a lot for free. 

But the thing is that because  some people  don't have, don't want to put in that time, you end up having to pay someone  thousands of pounds just to do the same job as well. But if you actually critically analyze someone's page, look at the videos, they post the pictures, some of the captions that they put, they post their hashtags, the way that they interact in as well, the way that they position the camera, the way that they do things as well, the way that they're visually using.

Their brand, you can literally, like, learn a lot as well. So that's some of the things that I was doing. And then eventually they were able to sort of like, you know, gain some interest with clients as well and, you know, get their things up and running as well. So that's that's a example of my coaching sessions as well.

So something that I also like to do is, you know,  Before we even get deeper into that, okay, what's your career goals and all that. I like to understand the person first, because if the person doesn't have the right mind frame, then it's no point talking about goals because you might start something, challenge will come, boom, that's it, you're done as well.

So it's good to understand your values, your interest as well. You're like, and also like your why as well. Like, you know, you know, sometimes like, you know, in a world where everyone wants to start a business, I want to do business. I want to do this. I want to do that. But what's the actual reason and what is The goal that you want to achieve as well.

And then with that, I'm able to sort of tie that in with the career goals that they want to do as well. And then, you know, really make sure that they utilize and platforms as well. So, you know, one thing that, um,  people will learn about me is that I'm a big advocate for LinkedIn. Like sometimes I even promote LinkedIn more than my own stuff as well.

But LinkedIn  literally is a platform that can like impact your career so much as well. So, um, I believe that, you know, if you take LinkedIn seriously as well, to put yourself out there as well, just create content. And even a student watching this or thinking, what should I create? You can literally just take a picture of, you know, pitch on your wall and just talk about how this picture has inspired you to become a better person.

It can literally be anything. You don't have to be super creative as well.  And literally like, you know, connect with different people on LinkedIn as well, you know, look at what they  look at what they are posting as well and just leaving a comment as well. So if someone has made a status about, you know, the common state, the common affairs as well, you know,  you know, instead of saying something generic that I agree, and then you might get a little, you know, Like, like, you know, share your opinion when you share your opinion, other people are going to see that and other people are going to connect with you as well, because it's all about how do you provide value to someone else when someone sees that you're very valuable that can allow you to sort of get opportunities as well.

So that's something that, um, yeah, I like to sort of, um, do in my coaching sessions as well. 

Yeah, thank you so much. And I think, yeah, there's key, key lessons to learn because I think one, as you mentioned, people do forget that like  sharing content of what you are doing. It doesn't think sometimes people feel like on LinkedIn, you've got to be like, you know, you're getting a knighthood from the King or you've got to like, have, you know, come up with a massive piece of research, but no LinkedIn, as you mentioned, just sharing like simple things.

Like you could even like, like the amount of times I've seen coffee cups, people just saying like, I'm working at a cafe today, you know, getting in the zone, thinking about stuff,  you know, simple stuff like that. Um, people feel like, Oh, you know, they can't do that because whether. They don't have a big enough audience.

They think people judge them and things like that. But it's like we said, it's just getting out there. Um, I do think as well, people sometimes do forget that like, LinkedIn is not just a, I've forgotten what the word is, but it's the opposite of reactive. But LinkedIn isn't essentially just you posting stuff and never like, Reposting with your thoughts, sharing, commenting like LinkedIn is a, a platform that reacts to you to the reactions that your post gets.

Mm. And even like you were talking about, like commenting, one of the things that, um, I've forgotten like the video that was in, but the person who's like the head of c uh, the head of, uh, Instagram was talking about like engagement and how Instagram as an algorithm values engagement. And he was basically saying that people sometimes feel like it's the views or the likes that, like me and your video, like.

Reaches more people or go viral for, he said, it's absolutely not that the thing that actually To Instagram tells it that your videos doing well is the comments and I've seen that and people say like it's just the comments of your Video that will help it because when Instagram seeing your videos getting comments and you're applying to these comments to Instagram is saying Okay, cool.

People, people are talking about this. People are people are getting engaged with it. Let's let's reach more people. Um, and it's the same thing even with like YouTube. So like through, um, so, uh, we have an affiliate with them, which we'll put in the description so you can check them out. But through vid IQ, um, which is a YouTube channel that supports like small, um, YouTubers who want to get into like building up their channel and eventually getting revenue through it.

They were talking about how similarly with small channels, people sort of feel that, you know, I need to jump on trends. I need to do this. And they were like, no, like you just need to be consistent,  have good content that you're posting and just be clear on what you're doing, but also be interactive with your audience.

If someone comments something, send a reply, put something in your description that maybe we'll get people to sort of give you feedback. Um, be active in that sense. So yeah, I definitely agree that like, sometimes people do forget that like It's, it's not, you don't need to sort of do so many things, um, to, to get that engagement from people.

And I would say from, like, personal experience across, like, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, the one that you get the most, like, I'd say, like, friendliest feedback and is the safest place is LinkedIn. Like, you posted stuff about whether, you know, it's your own journey, stuff you're going through, you know, maybe you've had a tough time, but you're working through it.

Like LinkedIn, I've seen people post, you know, they were, you know, Thinking of quitting their business and they're, you know, they, people commenting like, no, you know, you're doing great stuff, you know, people shared on there. They're like, hey, like, I'm desperately need a drop opportunity. I've been applying for jobs.

Like if you know of any recruiters, like, please reshare, like I'm trying to, and like, it works because it's a community of people that are just like, you know, Yes, I'm gonna like, let me see if I can help this person on. And as you said, you know, finally, to just end on this is that with LinkedIn, a lot of people do forget that, you know, as you mentioned, you can like just message people who may be in a company that you want to work for, or maybe, you know, they're in a field that you want to work in.

And you can, like you said, just be like, Hey, um, you know, I hope you're doing well. I really like the stuff that you're posting. I just want to like to speak to you for like 20, 30 minutes, uh, to just know a bit more about you, how you got into this field, you know, I've just got a few questions and a lot of people think, you know, I'm never going to get a response.

I'm not saying that everyone's going to respond, but I'm also not saying that no one's going to respond and you'll never know if someone's going to respond unless you send out those messages. Um, so yeah, 

and I'm just saying, and also even if someone doesn't respond, still move on as well because you have to sort of think about the goal that you want and just have this plan for it.

Mind frame, like, you know what, like, if you're not gonna help me, I'm gonna go to someone else, and that's okay as well. Mm. Because sometimes I reach out to some people don't respond, won't follow up, don't respond. I see them on the on, on the comments as well. , they see the making posts as well. I'll be on the comments as well.

they told me thank you, like not  to get a thank you, but what, whatever at the dm. But I said that, you know what, it's, it is okay. Mm. I I'm not gonna let someone, um.  Stop me from achieving a goal because you didn't respond to me as well. Yes. I know you can help me, but at this point you're not responding to me.

So I'm going to find someone else as well. So even as students as well, whatever you're trying to achieve, still be proactive as well. Yes. One person can particularly open the door, but if they're not responding to you, or you're not able to communicate with them, find someone else as well. You just keep having this mindset where it's like, you know what, I'm going to keep going and keep going and keep going.

I'm going to do whatever it takes as well to get the answers that I'm looking for. That's going to give me the opportunity as well. And even just as you said as well,  some people are looking for a job. They literally create a state of saying, Hey, I'm looking for a job in. In this particular area, could you help me out?

And then people literally be tagging recruiters, different people that they know as well. And then eventually they get an opportunity as well. So if LinkedIn is helping so many people with their careers, then why shouldn't you use it as well? 

Hmm. 100%. 

Yeah. 

100%. Um, which got, which got. You know, funnily enough, leads us to our last question, which is what advice would you give to students who are feeling lost or uncertain about their future career paths? 

Um, I'll say that the anyone that is feeling lost is, you know, first one is don't give up as well. And, you know, be in a position where you can just try and experiment, you know, different stuff as well. So, Even prior to what I do now, I experimented. I thought I would do do videography as well. So I was playing with the cameras as well, trying to film my university sports team as well.

And I thought that's something that I wanted to do as well.  Didn't work out as well. I tried street dancing in uni as well. Not many people know that it didn't work out as well. And eventually, fast forward to today, I eventually used my passion that I have to  call into people and eventually help me to where I am as well.

So I'll say like, you know, don't give up. And also, you know, think about things that you're actually good at or things that friends or family will tell you that you're good at. And start trying, start trying stuff, start doing stuff, start researching stuff as well, because the more that you try, the more that you get.

So I think the more that you, you will have an understanding of whether something is for you as well, because even as I said previously, as well, if you keep thinking about that thing that you want to do, you can think about it all day, but then you still want to get that clarity, but a clarity comes in doing that's something I want students to understand the clarity that you're looking for is in the doing when you do stuff, you have that clarity as to whether you should do it, You should continue or you should focus on something else as well.

When I did the finance, I thought I wanted it. That was for me. Then I had a clarity that no, this is not it with the creative side as well. Advertising. I thought this is a clarity of what I wanted to do that. I realized, no, this is, this is not it. And then now I'm in a place where I'm walking in purpose and it all started from a desire just to help people as well.

So no matter where  you are right now. Everyone has a desire. Everyone has interest in something as well. Try and think about what is that thing that you're passionate about? What's the thing that you're interested about? Or even what's that thing where you might be frustrated about? And you wish you could make a change as well, because that's the key as to  what you want to do as well.

Yeah, 100%. And, um, yeah,  I'm gonna leave it there. Amazing, amazing advice to take home. Um, we've now come to passing the mic, which is where, as I always say, I'm not physically passing the mic over to Geoffrey. Um, but yeah, it's funny because, uh, Now Jeffrey's interviewing Jeffrey. Um, but yeah, I'm gonna let Jeffrey ask me some questions, uh, or a question on sort of like anything we've discussed today or anything you want to know about.

Pick up the mic. Um, just let me know. 

Oh, yeah. 100%. I guess like we've reviewed doing what you're doing as well. Why did you feel like students is what you wanted to help? Because you know, you could have just helped adults. You could help seniors, but students, young people's where you felt like you were called to sort of help as well.

So what made you choose that area and not be tempted to do like other target audiences? 

Um, so I think with that, it came from, so pick up the mic started out with, uh, myself and two of my friends, uh,  I was going to be the BME officer at our student union in  2020, so it's coming up to like the election time.

Uh, and again, everything was, it was during the pandemic, everything was online. Like you had to campaign online, you couldn't go out and speak to people. So I'll just message in group chats, you know, putting messaging people on Instagram just saying, Hey, I'm going for this position. Let me know. It's like, I'd love if you could help vote for me and for your support.

Um, But one of the key things I realized was one of this like stuff in my manifesto people didn't necessarily know that like My university offered. So like, for example, Bruno has a yearly funding competition where there's a pot of between like 10 to 15, 000 pounds that, uh, any student who has a business idea can go for, they get support with coming up with a business model, they get support with their pitching and all you have to do for the first stage is submit, uh, submit a two minute video application on your like business.

Uh, and it doesn't need to be like. You know, Oscar worthy. It could literally just be used talking to a camera for two minutes. Um, and yeah, a lot of people just said, like, they didn't know that that was something that existed. They were just like, Oh yeah, I've got business ideas. I would have loved to have known about that.

I was like, Yeah, like this, this was like, I knew about this, like, you didn't know. And so yeah, there was a lot of stuff like that. Or even like, for example, like I mentioned, uh, the PDC at Brunel that offers career advice and stuff. People were saying they didn't know that they could get like advice on their CV and cover letter, or they thought, Oh, I can only get this support when I'm at Brunel.

And then we were saying, I was telling them, like, no, like if you're graduating next year, like you're graduating this winter. you get that support three years after you graduate. So don't worry, like if you didn't use the service this year, come back and use it next year. Um, but yeah, people just like didn't know a lot about this stuff.

So for a lot of us, we just felt like, yeah, there's a lot of students like this is just our uni, but imagine like across other universities where, you know, particularly like on an, like the way things are now, even though we're still in like a post pandemic world. Um, The way things were before, you're still getting loads of information from like the universities emailing you loads of stuff, or maybe they're emailing you like a weekly or monthly newsletter where you're not reading it.

Maybe a glimpse over if there's anything cool or interesting, but you're not necessarily like digesting what's there. Um, but yeah, there were a lot of like these services that existed that people just didn't know about. So we said that we wanted to create a platform that people could come, they could learn about that, and it just naturally felt that as students who knew about some of this stuff, it would be great to share this for other students.

So, um, it's kind of changed because now, funnily enough, we've all graduated. But our tagline when we started, um, on Instagram was we're so it's by students for students in the sense of will students. We are not saying like we're experts and everything, or we know all the knowledge in the world, but we were saying we've got advice.

We've got experience. We want to share it with you, and we want to let you know about the support services, both within Bruno, both outside within sort of the university. UK wide, sometimes, you know, worldwide, you could get involved in. A lot of these are for free. A lot of these, you know, you can utilize for free, even some, some of them is like a university student.

Um, so yeah, we said,  come on, you know, listen to us. Um, and yeah, we'll share our share information and advice with you. 

Amazing. Yeah. So you loved it as well. Yeah. And I also love the fact that, you know, everything that you just started in a pandemic.  And that probably could have been a point where you was like, you know what, let me just give up.

Let me just leave it as well. But the fact that you still kept going as well. And even though you had a name by students for students,  you still, you still kept going as well. And then as you kept going, the name started to refine more as well. And 

that was the whole idea. So, um, I can never take credit for pick up the mic.

It came from, uh, one of my sisters, um, but she was saying like, you know, it's the whole idea of. You know, you're giving, you're giving students the opportunity to like, come on, speak about stuff they're passionate about, but you're also picking up the mic so that they're aware of. this stuff because you're saying like, we're not going to let anyone else like, you know, share this and you're going to miss it.

We're going to be like, we're going to be vocal. We're going to be that person that's like, Hey man, if you need this advice, like check out this place and we're going to point you in the right direction. So yeah, she was saying very much that like, that's the whole idea of like, why it is called pick up the mic is because we're encouraging people to pick up the mics themselves and share their journey.

But we're also picking up the mic to say, you know, We're going to like vocalize. We're going to tell we're going to speak to. We're going to share all these resources with you. So even if you feel a bit hesitant about using it, maybe you don't know what it's about. You know, we'll talk to you about it.

We'll show you that, you know, it's okay to be a bit worried, but you know, we can share that advice with you. 

That's amazing as well. And that's why I commend you as well and your team as well for You know, during this podcast as well, because, you know, students need a podcast where they can sort of hear about student careers, stories as well, so they can get that hope that you know what, even if someone been through a challenge, they were able to make it as well.

And it's the hope that  allows people to move forward as well, because if they can't see someone that looks like them  around the age group be successful, then they're going to think that what they're doing is a waste of time as well. So what you're doing is an amazing thing to keep doing your thing as well.

Amen.  I know that, you know, you definitely will go places. Thank you 

so much, man. I really appreciate it. And, um, yeah, to just end this, um, you know, things that you just said are there about, like, encouraging people that, you know,  That anyone like encouraging people like the, the power of like following your dreams and like you said, like, uh, you know, I'm also Christian.

So, you know, following the God, um, you know, uh, so funnily enough, I'm going to repost it. I'm hoping we can beat the original views. Uh, they've got, but I'm going to, so, uh, 18th of July, uh, will be a year since I did like my graduation speech. So, uh, without like going into too much detail of the story, um, it was just, you know, uh, I guess, like I said, like God's favor that things lined up, that, uh, He, you know, the university allowed students who are currently graduating to speak at only graduations and I was able to apply and I got the opportunity to do it.

Um, but even as you said, with that speech, I didn't want it to focus on, you know, talking about myself, my, you know, the journey I had a Brunel and like why I love Brunel so much. And I also didn't want it to be A fact, you know, talking about, like, the university itself and saying, like, the university is a great place and all of this, I wanted to essentially focus on the people in the room, um, and as you mentioned, uh, you know, on the back of my shirt, uh, we will be talking about pick up the mic merch, so you can pick one up and I will tell you how, um, but like, I have this quote that, um, truly impacted me, which is called Sig Parvus Magna, which in Latin means greatness from small beginnings, but it's like direct translation is like from small beginnings, great things occur.

Um, so for me, that whole speech was about that. So as in reminding people that, you know, You know, I even say in the speech, I joke about it, that, you know, I face failure,  stress, worry, like imposter syndrome, all of these things, but that's not to say that, like, I don't think greatness will come from what I do, you know, it might be today.

It might be tomorrow, but I think it will come. And the whole speech was just reminding them that, hey, like,  We're all in the same base you like great things will come from what you're gonna do. Don't worry about the timing Just keep keep being consistent have that faith for you You know things like have have faith in general that things are gonna work like the action that you the work you're putting into this Is going to bring something to fruition? 

but also don't be surprised of like When that comes and what form it comes in because even like I said if you told me like even it was funny because like Uh, maybe March that year, I told my man, my old manager that was, uh, still at the university. Um, I told her that, Hey, um,  I would really love to do like a speech at graduation.

And I was just saying like, this is long term, like, you know, I was like, Bruno will never let me do it now because I'm not big, I'm not famous. I'm not like an industry leader. Um, but I was just like, it would be so cool to do. And she was like, yeah. Why don't you just do it? You're the upcoming one. I was like, okay, let's check it out.

Let's see what happens. So, yeah. So like you said, it's just very much about like.  Sometimes you like one, as you mentioned, being proactive, but to, um, just creating those, those spaces and being aware of like the opportunities that are around you. 

Yeah, that's amazing as well. And that's it. 

Well, thank you. Um, yeah, I will say, keep an eye out.

I will be reposting it. I think on LinkedIn, it got like, Okay. Views last time I checked. So we're hoping this year to maybe double that. So yeah, 

go 

viral. Let's let's see it happen, guys.  But yeah, we've now come to the end of the month. Uh, actually, we haven't had to for I don't think for a while, but we've got to this episode.

Um, so we're going to share. An organization or two organizations that I think will be really relevant to you guys. And then we're going to share an individual that, um, that can help. Uh, so organization wise, there are two. So the first one is, uh, Bright Network. So Bright Network do a lot of work to connect students and recent graduates with top employers.

They do a lot of career advice. They also share like internship, graduate schemes and opportunities, uh, as well as like host events. Uh, most of them online, some of them in person on like career advice, CVs and cover letters. Um, so yeah, definitely check them out. Another one, especially for those who are looking to do placements, uh, is Rate My Placement.

So Rate My Placement is a website where organizations can upload placements to sort of like talk about. you know, uh, to showcase and offer placement. But what's really good about it as well is I believe it's so the whole idea of it being called rate my placement is students will rate the organizations on that website so students can give feedback on how they found the placement, what they enjoyed, you know,  it's a whole idea is supposed to be like a safe environment where students can talk about their experience.

So they offer placement and internship opportunities. But again, there's that career advice element as well. So I definitely recommend checking that out. And then finally, I think we. We didn't really touch about a lot, but I think it is very important. Um, it was the whole idea of your why and like why you do what you do.

And I think the best person is, he's got like a 20, I think it's like a 10 to 20 minute TED talk on it. Um, but he does a lot of work around this is Simon Sinek. And he does. So while he's not based within the UK, he does a lot of work on like career clarity, finding your purpose. Um, and he Yeah, he has a um, Literally a 10 to 20 minute Ted talk on like finding your why.

So if you are sort of like unsure of your why, go and find out. Um, and one thing that he shared, I don't, he also, if you are in, like if you are into podcasts, he did, he has done a few podcasts with um,  uh, uh, Steven Bartlett from Diary of a CEO. So if you do wanna listen to. Like some podcast episodes of his check it out.

Um, but yeah, one thing that he does say is like finding your why can also be through your friends and your family. So he said, like, when it comes to friends, I've never done this. But it's an interesting thing to test. And if you do do it, let us know. Um,  he said, like, for friends and family, ask them, this is more for friends, because obviously, like your family,  for the most part, love you.

Um, but yeah, when it comes to friends, he said, like,  Find a good friend, like something that you, you know, you're close friends, you're really good friends. And he said, like, just turn to them and be like,  Like, so we're friends, right? And he said, so the person, the way it goes, you ask the person, like, We're friends, right?

And they'll be like, yes, yes, yes, of course. And he said, like, but why are we friends? And he was just like, you're not saying it in like a rude way, or like, you don't understand why this friendship exists, but you want to know more about, like, the reason why this person wants to be friends with you. And he said, like, be very attentive to what they're saying.

If they're saying like, Oh, because you're warm, because you're caring, because I can see you've got a passion and drive and this and that, then that can be a clear like indicator of your why. So it means that like, they might be like, Oh, you know.  Uh, I love just how, like, you're passionate when it comes to, like, following through on things, on, like, your hobbies, or I like that you, you're caring and you, you know, you, you always make sure that I feel okay and safe and all of this stuff, and that can be a really good indicator to knowing, like, what your strengths are, because particularly when it comes to, like, finding out your why, sometimes it is, like, the things you are strong at, so, like, as, uh, Geoffrey mentioned, like, you know, you're, you're, you're very confident in speaking in public, Uh, you're very confident with offering advice.

Um, so that's clearly why you do what you do. Um, and in the same sense as you mentioned, like with podcasting, when I started out podcasting, I did not have the expertise and knowledge. As I say, the three of us, when we started, did not have any of that experience. Um, so yeah, I was saying there's a really good way for you to like find out why your why, but not through like only self.

He does talk about like self, like how do you self search to find your why. But he also talks about like getting that feedback through friends. And he said a really good friend, like let them be. Brutally honest and keep asking them if they're just saying like, you know,  they're not going to depth with their answer He said like keep on trying to bring that answer out of them because it is really key to sort of for you to know Um, but yeah, there are emcees of the month.

We have now come to the takeaway section, which is not where we uh, Like I said, we, we, I didn't mention the previous episode. We are at the stage where possibly we could get food sponsorship. It's, it's coming. I'll let you know when it comes. Um, but yes, at this current stage, we're just going to be giving you a message to go home with instead.

So Jeffrey, it's been great talking to you. Uh, first I'm going to say that, uh, we talked about a lot. We talked about a lot of interesting things. We have, uh, explored a lot of topics and we've given a lot of advice. Now, if there was one key takeaway message based on everything we talked about today. that you want people to go home with, what would that takeaway message be? 

I'll say  be proactive,  um,  be dedicated, be focused as well, be driven and don't allow the negative influences to stop you from going to where you need to be. If you have a passion, you have a desire in your heart.  And some people don't believe that, that's okay. You're not, you're not crazy for having a dream.

You're not crazy for wanting better for better than those around you as well. You know, keep  going, keep pushing yourself as well. Keep  reaching out to different people who can help you in various different areas of your life, especially in your career. And then eventually you will get there as well. But every student watching this.

Please keep going as well. Don't give up. I know. I know. Sometimes the news will come with different stuff as well. Social media will come different stuff. Different people come with different stories and say, Oh, this and that. But you have to be able to just know that there's purpose in this life in you because each and every one of you watching this, you are precious and you're absolutely amazing.

And God's got a big plan for each and every one of you. Obviously, I know it's not Sunday service, but God  has a plan for each and every one of you as well. So  I believe in you keep going, you know, keep being great as well. Keep trying. And the more you try, the more you learn, the more you network, the more you put yourself out there, the more you do research, the more you ask questions, the more you attend different events as well.

The more you connect to different people as well. That can help you in your journey. Eventually you will get to where you need to be 

100%. Um, and yeah, I think, you know, one thing to, to sort of say before we wrap things up is I like that. Also, I will say I didn't tell him to say that he came up with that on the spot.

But honestly, man, like, I think it's really important for you to that you mentioned that because in our previous episode, we were talking about like the whole idea of youth work and advocacy. And we were saying that, you know, for a lot of young people, you know,  They're not told that they're not told that they're good enough that they're worth it.

They can follow their dreams that they can like achieve that stuff. Um, and that's not to say, you know, this can happen in households where like, you know, it's clear that your parents love you and things like that. Sometimes it is just, you know, people can't see what you see. And it's like we said, like you're not doing this.

For anyone else you're doing this because like you said you're called to do this. You can see yourself doing this Um, you know, and it's just remembering that so I guess my only two cents to just add on to that was thank you So much people needed to hear that I hope you guys heard that and if you didn't make sure you're telling yourself that you're loved you're good enough And you're going to do great things  So, yeah, thank you very much.

Oh, yeah. Thank you so much, Jeffrey, for having me as well. You're very welcome. It's definitely been an amazing episode as well. I felt like I was able to share a lot of things with my heart as well, and you also made me feel comfortable here as well. You're very welcome. And every student as well. I hope you took something from it as well.

And if you want to connect with me on social media, you can. Jeffrey Manso. J. E. F. F. R. E. Y. M. for March. A for April. N for November. S for September. O for October. Yeah. Always got to do spelling bee on the phone sometimes. Because I say my 

name and it's like, whoo! Bernard, so much. Um, and yeah, it's been amazing to speak to you.

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You can subscribe there, um, check them out, but yeah, we're going to close this chapter of the student guide. We will be. back with another episode and another guest. And I think we, yeah, we are because this will be, I believe episode seven. So we will be approaching the end of season six. Um, so yeah, well, uh,  yeah, we'll see if there's a big surprise, but, uh, we'll keep you guys posted best way for you to do that is to obviously be subscribed.

Uh, but yeah, we hope you have a wonderful day. It's been great, uh, having you guys here with us and we will see you in the next episode. Uh, so take care all the best from us and bye for now.