Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
AMBITION IS ALL IN THE GENES
RESEARCH shows more and more young people under 25 say that when it comes to finding a career it must be something they care about. No one knows this better than Toluwani Alade, 21, who has been obsessed with medicine ever since he was in hospital as a child, and he now works as an apprentice research lab technician at CGT Catapult near his home in Watford.
What does your job involve on a day-today basis?
I work at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London for Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult. It’s an innovation and technology organisation working towards advancing cell and gene therapies. The vision is to deliver life-changing advanced therapies to the world.
I have been lucky enough to be part of the team adapting and manufacturing stem cells to create heart cells that can be used to help treat heart defects in children, such as those born with holes in the heart.
I do loads of different things from technical lab work (complete with a lab coat and goggles) and data analysis, to meetings and helping train newcomers. I’m currently involved in an internal development project which is really interesting too.
What do you love about the job?
Every day it makes me think on my feet which feels challenging but satisfying beyond belief. I am constantly being exposed to new techniques and equipment.
I just love discovering new things and being able to ask questions of the amazing colleagues I have around me to fully understand how things work. Day-to-day problem solving can be a stretch sometimes, but nothing beats solving a problem.
When did you start out?
I joined the company in September 2020 and I am currently coming into the final year of my apprenticeship.
What led you to this?
After suffering from sickle cell anaemia and spending a lot of time in hospital as a child, I became determined and passionate about helping others who’d had similar experiences.
Science was a subject I enjoyed and thrived at when I was at school, so it seemed like a natural next step for me to pursue my passions to work towards where I am today.
I was looking at different options during sixth form as I was unsure whether going to university was right. I wanted to learn on the job so an apprenticeship made sense. I found the listing on the government website (apprenticeships.gov.uk) and had various interviews at different companies.
Why is it important to find work you love?
If you are doing something you love it can act as a catalyst to drive you towards achieving goals you may have never considered before. It gives you a sense of purpose which all together helps you enjoy life a little bit more.
Getting up to work in something you hate would be so souldestroying. I get up every day excited for what the day has in store for me.
What advice do you have for other young people?
If you do something you love it gives you a real sense of purpose
You have to follow your dreams and not be afraid of trying out new things.
Be confident and challenge yourself because you could absolutely surprise yourself.
You never really know what you might enjoy doing, and if you think outside the box and try things you never imagined you could do, you may end up doing something you might not have thought possible, even if it isn’t deemed mainstream.