Stun your way to the top

USo we have a thing at the Guardian (where I work, yes you should be Jel its amazing) called "Good to great" which, from what I gather aims to promote the fantastic work people have done.
How I see it is everyone who works at the Guardian does well (i.e is "good") but some of those people push it so far so that they go above and beyond an average employee (i.e the "great") so what I'm wondering is how do you get there? As always your suggestions are encouraged.
It works very well for me as an apprentice (someone who's contract is fixed to an end period) who wants to stay in my role *-*-*-*-*....4 3va....*-*-*-*-*
But it doesn't just go for apprenticeships, but internships and degrees and school and employment, even if you know you won't be kept on in your internship for example, how do you prove to a different employer that you've made the most of the experience? How can you demonstrate you've gone above and beyond? How do you do it?

1. Scare yourself. Launch yourself from your comfort zone. Present to 100 people. Yes you may turn red and trip over your words but you'll get through it.
2. Be proactive. Do something that you know needs to get done without waiting to be told.
3. Experiment. Try to do it. Have a go at building an email, creating a report or sending an invoice on your own. It's the best way to understand processes.
4. Make mistakes. No one on this Earth is perfect. Things go pear shaped, they don't work out, you make an incorrect move. Do it. That's life, if it always went to plan then there would be no point to anything. No one learned from a success. Now is the time to get away with it.
5. Try your best. Give it 100% everyday. Show you love it. Be involved. Prove your company needs you.

Ri x

Where I'm at

So, obviously, I have started this blog because I myself am not going to university [SHOCK! HORROR!COVER YOUR EYES CHILDREN, DON'T READ THE SHAME!]

-therefore, I thought it would be a good idea to update you on my story and how I am doing at the moment.

I left sixth-form officially on the 15th of May this year and finished off my A levels until the 15th of June so I am currently waiting for my results which will be available on the 16th of August. 
It is now  14 minutes to 1 on the 8th of July, leaving me with........................ the rest of my life to figure out what I want to do.
If you read my other blogs or follow me on twitter or have read my profile, you'll know that I am interested in writing/journalism/PR/communications and a bit of marketing [Hello and how do you do to any prospective employers] so I have some idea of where I want to apply to and how I am going to go about doing that.
I started applying for apprenticeships/internships/employment a month ago and have heard nothing back after applying for four positions.
 So I am going to continue to apply at every magazine I can think of, every PR agency, every communications department and any marketing departments that have openings. 
I do not want to end up sitting up home or working at Primark for the rest of my life, however, I have to pick up some more hours there for the summer. 
In my first post, I told you how my school didn't really help those who didn't plan on going to university, so I have been and will be 100% doing this on my own, which isn't a problem although a little help would have been nice.

Having said that, I do have some means of helping myself, for example:
I check the apprenticeships.org.uk website regularly for any updates
I have gorkana jobs send me emails when positions open up in fields I'm interested in
I follow journalist jobs on twitter 

I apply and will be applying to all that I can in order to get a job or some work experience in order to begin my career,

I'll keep you updated!

You Will Need Help

You are going to need help.

Whilst it's important that you choose you're own future and you're not swayed by the opinions of your friends, teachers, siblings, cousins, parents or hamsters, you are always going to need advice, especially from those who have made the same decision.

If you're still at school, take the opportunity to use the facilities. Find out who your careers advisor is, where they will be and when. Ask them for help- that's what they're there for! Talk to your teachers...the ones you like. Believe it or not, they want to help you to. Having said that, it's probable that your teachers will tell you to go university, whether you want to or not, but it's always useful to hear their own experiences.

If not, there are always other places to get help, the job centre, the library, the internet, apprenticehips.org.uk, THIS BLOG, and others...
Find out where your nearest "connexions" centre is, they can give you impartial advice on what steps you can take and how you should be planning.

Apprenticeships and Internships and Other Work Experience

Hey Guys!

Summer's on it's way and it's time to plan your next step.

Apprenticeships are very popular with people who chose not to go to university.
They can offer:

•  on the job training
• a basic salary- averages are arounf £160/ week
• an apprentice qualification - Intermediate/Adavanced/Higher
• college or uni-based learning
• expense paid
• experience
• permanent jobs at the end of the course

Internships are similar but are mostly suited to vocational jobs, and you may find you are paid less, or not at all.

If you're thinking that an apprenticeship is the way forward, you need to be prepared to select your preferred field of work and be set on it. The more experience you can get in one area of work, the better your chances of securing a permanent job- Remember, you will have three of four years to get ahead of uni students with regard to work experience so make the most of it, you will need to show you are just as committed as those who have spent £36,000 on a university qualification.

Useful websites include

http://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/

http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/

and of course

http://uni-notgoing.blogspot.co.uk/

If you find that there are no apprenticeships advertised on these sites which interest you, do it yourself!

Apply to companies you know of and want to work for. 

What I have learnt is that the big companies (often banks and retail establishments) have a ridiculous amount of departments, a lot of which you wouldn't immediately think of.

For example, want a job in marketing? Write to banks, insurance companies, large chains of shops, restaurants etc don't just think of marketing agencies!

Where To Start? Right Here!

Hi, 
My name is Rianna Viggiano and I am not going to University.
Whether you're in year 12 and being pushed to choose your next step after sixth form  or you're in year 11 and deciding which A Levels to take in order to prepare you for the future, or you just want to explore your other options I am here to share my experience with you and maybe even give you some advice.
At the moment, I am in year 13 and I have just 4 weeks left until I jump into the world of work; in other words the "real world." Having been to a Grammar school and attended their sixth form, I felt as though I had no other option but to go to university. There was no help or guidance for those students who weren't sure of their next move, until quite recently where my school's attempt at helping us was very half-hearted. Luckily, most of us had already begun to plan the next stage of our lives.
For those of you experiencing something similar, I am here to tell you that UNIVERSITY IS NOT YOUR ONLY OPTION, THERE ARE OTHER WAYS OF GETTING INTO YOUR DESIRED PROFESSION (apart from if you want to go in to medicine etc.)
Obviously, I don't want to put down university; it is great experience and as long as you use your time correctly, you'll gain qualifications as well as life experience to help you when you eventually get into the real world.

Here are some reasons why people choose not to go into higher-education:

• They think they'll be in debt forever (See finances post)
• They would rather learn by doing than learn from a text book
• Their career needs a greater amount of work experience compared to education
• They wish to take a gap year 
• They've had enough of learning
• They want to start earning
• They think they're not ready to leave home
• They're doing a long distance learning course, like the Open University
• Are confident in another way into their preferred profession, like a level 3 qualification from a college (equal to an A Level)
• They're not sure of what they want to do

...as well as many others. 

So having read those, if you were unsure of what to do, you can imagine the alternatives to university. 
People often feel as though they're looked down on in not going to University, especially if you're at a Grammar school, or come from a family, but not everyone goes to university  and not going is nothing to be ashamed of. At least you're not going for the wrong reasons, and like some, you wont end up wasting your time, qualification and money on doing something for three years which you're not interested in and don't make the most out of.

1. The first thing you need to do, is ask yourself why it is that you don't want to go to university.
2. Next, you must figure out what it is that you want to do with your life. You don't need a rigid plan, but you must have a goal.
3. Research your field of interest, there's no point picking a career out of the air, just to shut everyone up. At the same time, even if you think you know everything about your desired career, there's no harm in researching it just that bit more.
4. Find out how to go about getting into your career without a degree. It may require work experience or a different kind of qualification.
5. Do what it is you need to do! Nothing will be handed to you on a plate. You need to do the work. You'll be competing with people who have just come out of university; why will the employer pick you over someone else? What sets you apart from the other candidate?

Keep it here to find out more about not going to university.