Finding my path with an apprenticeship in STEM

Editor’s note: This article includes a discussion of suicidal ideation and mental health struggles. Please take care if you choose to read on. Our text support service details are listed below.

Before I joined the Carline Learning Centre in Lucan, which is now known as the Peter McVerry Trust Learning Centre, I was slowly giving up on education and on life. School felt pointless. I was failing every test, getting F’s no matter how hard I tried. Some teachers told me I wouldn’t get anywhere in life, and after hearing that often enough, I started to believe them.

My mental health suffered badly. Every day felt heavier than the last. I reached a point where I had planned the day I would end my life.

Coming from a strict Nigerian household added another layer of pressure. I didn’t fit the expectations my parents or community had for me. I felt like a constant disappointment and a source of gossip. I carried the belief that I brought shame to my family, and that followed me everywhere.

An alternative education path that changed everything

Being referred to the Peter McVerry Trust Learning Centre gave me an alternative path when I had almost no hope left. The environment was different from that of a mainstream school. It was slower-paced, supportive, and human. People genuinely wanted to see you succeed.

For the first time, I felt seen. I felt wanted. I wasn’t treated like an outcast or a lost cause. That support helped me start believing that maybe education didn’t have to look the same for everyone.

Representation, identity, and being black in education

Being Black in Ireland comes with challenges that aren’t always spoken about. Representation matters more than people realise. I didn’t see many people who looked like me in education or in technology, and that made it hard to open up or feel like I belonged.

I didn’t feel safe telling the full truth about what I was going through. In many ways, I still struggle with that. Now, I try to be visible so that someone else can look at me and say, “She looks like me. Maybe I can do this too.”

A teacher who opened the door to STEM

When I returned to mainstream school, one teacher made a huge difference. Michael Griffin, my coding teacher, helped me apply for the Microsoft More Women in Data Centres programme and supported me in earning my certificate.

He saw potential in me when I couldn’t see it myself. His belief stayed with me and became a turning point. That was my first real step into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), and it showed me that technology could be a space for me too.

Failing the Leaving Cert

I failed my Leaving Cert, and at that point, I already felt like a failure. I disliked school, disliked many of my teachers, and honestly disliked my life. In my head, everything was already over, so I couldn’t understand why I should even try anymore.

But failing exams doesn’t mean failing at life, even though it can feel that way when you’re living through it.

How PLC courses gave me a second chance

Instead of giving up completely, I tried a different route. I completed two PLC courses: Computer Applications and Game Design, and Computing and Mobile Technology.

I enjoyed both and learned practical, hands-on skills that suited me far better than traditional school. PLCs helped rebuild my confidence and showed me that learning doesn’t have to be one-size-fits-all.

Choosing an apprenticeship as an alternative to college

Through the Peter McVerry Trust, I was suggested ‘FIT’ (Fast Track Into Tech) as another option. An apprenticeship was a completely new concept to my parents, and at first, they didn’t support it. From their point of view, college was the only valid path.

FIT supported me with my CV, interview preparation, and confidence. For the first time, I felt like I had direction and purpose. I applied, interviewed, and was offered a role as an IT Infrastructure Engineer apprentice at Salesforce.

Life as a STEM Apprentice at Salesforce

I’ve now been an apprentice for 11 months, and it’s been an incredible journey. I’ve grown in ways I never expected, not just professionally but personally. Working in STEM has shown me what I’m capable of and helped me build a future that once felt impossible.

This path proved that alternative third-level education can be just as valid, meaningful, and successful as the traditional college route.

Why young people need to know there are other ways

I wish more young people knew that there are multiple paths to success. You don’t have to follow the traditional route to do well in life. Growing up in Lucan, I didn’t feel there were enough resources or information to show young people that apprenticeships, PLCs, and alternative education paths were real options.

Too often, young people are shamed for failing. Social media adds even more pressure by making it look like everyone else your age is succeeding. That kind of comparison can seriously affect your mental health, and it shouldn’t be the standard we measure ourselves by.

Earning my parents’ support and belief

One of the proudest moments of my life has been gaining my parents’ support. Once I explained my path and showed them what an apprenticeship could offer, they put their faith in me. Now they are proud of the choices I’ve made.

That support brings me an immense amount of joy. I always believed it could be done. I just didn’t know how.

You are not defined by what others say

Through my journey, I’ve learned this: you are not defined by what teachers, grades, or other people say about you. You are defined by what you choose to become.

This is the quote I live by now:

Your “good enough” is not everybody’s “good enough.”

If you try to be everybody’s good enough, you will never be good enough.

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