Oncology Apprentice

Why did you choose an apprenticeship in the pharmaceutical industry?

My career path is very different than the traditional apprentice. After graduating from school I decided I wanted to study Russian and international relations. I really enjoyed it at university so continued to study and did a master's degree at the University of Birmingham in Russian and Eastern European Studies. I struggled to find a job after doing the master's degree and ended up working in marketing. And I was working in marketing for a different pharmaceutical company. When I discovered my passion for the sciences. I found that I would much rather read the clinical studies behind our products and write the brand strategies for them. So I decided to change my career. I knew that I wanted to work in the sciences. And science is so dynamic and allows one to continuously learn and progress. But I had a challenge that I had to pay off the debt from my previous degrees. So I could not go back to university in the traditional manner. I Googled "science jobs in Cambridge" and found the apprenticeship at AstraZeneca. It presented the perfect opportunity for me because I would gain a degree in science completely debt free. And I'd also get the industry experience required to get a job after studying. And I have to admit that I was a bit worried that I would find lab work boring, or repetitive. We all have the stereotypes of lab scientists standing in their white coats, pipetting samples from you know one place to another. However, I have found that, you know, when I started to work in the lab, scientists are some of the most creative and innovative people you'll ever meet. Creativity is required for problem solving and this makes the role just incredibly engaging.

What does your apprenticeship involve?

So the best thing about my job is that no two days are the same. I generally spend about half of my time in the lab. But this is time spent doing different experiments. They're bespoke, and they're designed to answer specific questions. And in doing these experiments, you know, I get to I get to learn new skills, and also work with different team members. It means that my job is really dynamic, and that I enjoy coming into the office every day.

How did you hear about the apprenticeship opportunity?

Well, I was so passionate about working in science that I just Googled "science jobs in Cambridge", and frankly, would have accepted anything that got me closer to my goal. I'm so thankful that one of the first things that I clicked on, was the apprenticeship opportunity at AstraZeneca. Hands down applying is one of the best decisions that have ever made.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic influenced your experience?

So when the pandemic hit the UK, I signed up to volunteer at the Cambridge COVID-19 testing centre that was set up in collaboration with AstraZeneca, GSK and the University of Cambridge. And I was terrified going in as I had to learn, you know, completely new experimental techniques and a different way of working. In my usual role I conduct bespoke experiments, or assays, and they're designed to answer specific questions. Whereas in contrast, the testing centre was a high throughput laboratory, where we followed specific standard operating procedures or SOPs. I also learned to work with robotics and automation, which was really cool. And in addition, you know, I had to change my working hours from the typical nine to five Monday to Friday to 3pm till 11:30pm, Saturday to Monday, and I was worried before starting my shifts that I would struggle with the hours, but the camaraderie and the enthusiasm that my teammates had for the work and you know, just frankly helping in any way that we could make the shifts a breeze.

What are your future career goals?

So my future career goals. I love what I do, and I love where I work. And so being able to continuously learn and develop while helping to, you know, ultimately save patients is just it's wonderful and incredibly rewarding. And I plan to continue working in my department and continue to learn as much as I as I possibly can.