“The Door that I Was Looking For” - Beril Mese & Taylor Black

Beril Mese, a second year Service Analyst apprentice at Allstate, originally studied music. She realized after graduating that the only path forward was academia and knew that wasn’t where she wanted to be. During her twenties she took a series of customer service jobs before pivoting to technology after teaching herself to code during the pandemic. She knew she was on the right path then but ran into a new problem: an oversaturated tech market and no tangible qualifications. So she went back to school, studying computer engineering and through City Colleges of Chicago found the earn and learn opportunity with Allstate she was searching for. Taylor Black, a former car salesperson, was tired of the grind and watching life pass him by found an apprenticeship with RPC. Though he struggled with the transition into a government role, he soon found his footing thanks to a mentor. 

Beril and Taylor bond over their shared journeys as apprentices and being valued as a person, not just an employee. They explore how not only the apprenticeship model looks different, how mentorship changed their apprenticeships, and how apprenticeships are investments in the future of workforce. 

To learn more about apprenticeships, go to ApprenticeshipIL.com and follow Apprenticeship Illinois on LinkedIn. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

The Apprentice Ambassador Program selects an annual cohort of star current or former apprentices to represent a wide variety of industries throughout Illinois. During their year in the cohort, apprentice ambassadors serve as guest speakers at business events to showcase the impact apprenticeship has had on them, their families, and their companies. The Apprentice Perspective brings their stories to you, our listeners.

SPEAKER_00 0:23

Hello everyone. My name is Miril Beril Meshe and I am a service analyst at Allstate. I am an apprentice in my second year, and I am accompanied by Taylor Black. Would you like to introduce yourself?

SPEAKER_02 0:35

Hello, my name is Taylor Black. I am uh with the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission based out of Champaign, Illinois. And I am the business services coordinator. So when you first started, what worries did you have or family members that were kind of in the back of your mind? And then what has happened to those concerns over time since you've been in this program?

SPEAKER_00 0:55

So one of my concerns actually was also that I would not have enough time for life because I was studying at the same time, I was a full-time student, not a traditional student, obviously, and have bills to pay. I was just concerned that I would become really overwhelmed with all of it and have to quit midway. First of all, that concern has faded because of this incredible support system that I have, and also the flexibility of both Allstate and also my school in managing my time and my schedule. The ability to take classes in the evening and the ability to change my work hours from semester to semester, depending on what classes I'm taking, has helped me a lot. And also, if I do get overwhelmed, people like you who have families really inspire me to just keep going because I don't know how you do what you do, but um but I know that it's doable and that just keeps me going.

SPEAKER_02 1:52

And and I think this is why the ambassador program is so great because you get everybody that are in different situations, right? And me myself, one of my concerns was just the the time neglect, right? Uh not being home or not being as present. Um, and then I also, like I said, I coach high school basketball. Uh I head coach a freshman basketball team, and then I travel everywhere with the varsity. So I'm I'm gone six six days a week. Those were the conversations that I had back and forth with my fiance. She is an empowering person, so she's just like, you can do it. I know you can. Like you mentioned, having having the support system there for you when you think that you can't do anything, it really makes a difference.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

Yeah, I absolutely agree with you. So, Taylor, can you tell me a little bit about yourself, especially before the apprenticeship? Like, what were you doing before the apprenticeship and what actually led you to the decision of creating and joining an apprenticeship program?

SPEAKER_02 2:46

Before the apprenticeship, I worked at a couple dealerships, one downtown Chicago, uh selling high-ticketed vehicles, um, and then jumped over to finance there. And then I moved back home uh when I found out that we were having um Elijah, my first son, but the grind was eating me on the inside. Six days a week, 13 hours. I was rarely home, and I'm just watching life flash before my eyes. Yes, the money was great, but at the same time, I was not living. I was a zombie. In 2022, I quit that job, and I was just like, okay, well, it's time to start hunting for a job. Took me about six months. I landed on apprenticeship specialist with RPC, started working with Justin, and I'll be honest with you guys, the first year doing this work, coming from where I was to public government work, a lot of policy, I felt so strange, uncomfortable. And I will be honest, I was like, I don't know if I can do this. I thought about exiting, but I'm like, you know what? I've never quit in my entire existence. In the 32 years of life, I have never quit anything, and I'm damn sure not gonna start now. So I got with Dr. Arnold. I told him I was like, hey, I'm having trouble. I said, but I just need to suck it up and figure this out. I don't know. I think that really caught his eye, like kind of latched onto it, and he really became like my direct mentor even before the apprenticeship program. And then in that next two years, I just made it a point to learn everything that I can. I know that I may not be, you know, an expert, but going out there and involving myself in as many things as possible, and even if I do fail, learning from those failures, reflecting on those failures, and just growing in the position. I just know that with this, there is a way and there is a path for me, and I will create it however I can.

SPEAKER_00 4:32

Oh yeah, that's amazing. That's actually really inspirational, even though like I have my own journey that took me to apprenticeship. I am like inspired to just, you know, do it all.

SPEAKER_02 4:44

Yeah, and that's what I tell people just just do, just do things and and life will reward you really well.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

Yeah, I guess a little bit about me. Uh so I'm originally from Turkey, uh, grew up in Turkey. I lived kind of back and forth US and Turkey for a few years because I actually studied music a lifetime ago. I studied ethnomusicology, uh and the path forward for ethnomusicology is academia. There is no other path. I did realize that academia is really not for me. So when I graduated, uh my sporadic work experience has been mostly about on in like customer service. As I said, it was sporadic, like I wasn't always working. This was during my 20s and I was traveling, adventuring uh through different means. Some points of it, if I didn't have any money left, I would go home to my mom's and stay there for a couple of years. Um, it after the pandemic in 2021, I actually immigrated to the US. Uh, and when I finally got my work permit, I decided to start kind of thinking about my future and decided to pivot into technology because during the pandemic, I had taken some classes online. Uh, like it was my pandemic project to learn how to code. And I did realize that I am actually a really good problem solver. I like troubleshooting. Sure, it's really frustrating when it takes a really long time, but when you when you find a solution or when you find something that works, it's amazing. So, seeing that I had a tendency towards that, I decided to try to get into technology and quickly realize that there are not many doors to going into the world of technology right now, and the market is oversaturated. And having studied music, like I can provide no degree and no experience, just some like not even a bootcamp, just this one online class that I took. So I was not very employable, and I did decide to go back to school, not just to have the degree to market myself, also to build my fundamentals and be competent in what I can offer about myself. So I started City Colleges of Chicago. Firstly, the the basic certificate for software engineering. I was convinced to switch to computer engineering because it involved not only more opportunities, but also just uh more uh stimulation in terms of like the different things that I can do with it. Around that time, I also found out about the early career um development program in City Colleges of Chicago that has a program called Earn and Learn. Earn and Learn posts uh job opportunities and apprenticeship opportunities. So I found out about this apprenticeship. And the moment I see saw it, I thought, okay, this is this is the actual door that I was looking for. It's the door and it's the path, it's the experience that I can have while studying. And um, it is also very important that I can earn money while studying because I am uh no longer supported by my family. I live in a different country from my mom, and uh I have my own bills to pay. So uh it just provided all of it. And I am really glad that I took that leap and applied and got in because um it has definitely formed that path for me. I just want to say, like, yeah, that door is there, and that's the apprenticeship program.

SPEAKER_02 8:06

Yes, yes, it is. So moving forward, what is one thing you would want a business to consider when designing an apprenticeship model and and and what what what should they know?

SPEAKER_00 8:15

Yeah, that's a really good question. Let me think about that for a few seconds.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

Uh since that's that's fine. I have it off the top of my head uh because I I work with businesses routinely and designing and developing apprenticeship programs. And the one thing for me, take away the ROI and the bottom line and all of the money that you're gonna be pulling in, of course, right? But just think about the person, think about the individual or individuals and think about the value that you are providing them, right? An education, uh, increased wages, all of this translates, right? The confidence that we build at work, it translates directly to our household. We bring that confidence home. I see it firsthand. I don't know about you, but I definitely, I definitely do.

SPEAKER_00 8:58

Oh, yeah, me too. And one thing that I want to add on to it is that apprentices also come with so much life experience and different perspectives and backgrounds, it is usually a fresh perspective that can really kind of make uh a business think about how they've been doing things. When we come in, even though we don't have the expertise, we come in with just that fresh perspective. So when designing an apprenticeship program, just considering the different kinds of backgrounds and perspectives that people bring and how they can be utilized in your strategy or decision making. Whether uh if it's having some feedback forums with apprentices about how your business operations are, for example, this is just an example.

SPEAKER_02 9:44

And not only that, but uh the fresh perspective, they need to come into this thinking differently. I have a lot of employers that that still, when they think of apprenticeship programs, they they think about unions and and trades. Um but it's it's much greater than that. We're getting to the end of today's episode. The last section is called Sound Byte Sentences. I'll ask you a question and then we'll both answer in one brief sentence. Sound good?

SPEAKER_00 10:08

Yeah, that sounds good to me.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

So, what does it mean to be an apprentice ambassador?

SPEAKER_00 10:12

Being an apprentice ambassador means representing the future workforce.

SPEAKER_02 10:17

Yeah, I'm not even sure I can beat that one right there. What does it mean to be an apprentice ambassador? I cannot speak to that, but I am a part of the apprentice ambassador working group. And then kind of just just sitting back firsthand, mic muted, camera on, just watching all types of people getting the ability to experience what it what it's like to you know get the education and the work at the same time. So the next question here mentorship is a vital part of apprenticeships. What's some advice that really changed your mindset that you'd like to pass along to future cohorts?

SPEAKER_00 10:52

I would say mistakes off often lead us to much stronger learning than just theory.

SPEAKER_02 10:58

I would say one thing that really helped my mindset is just go waking up every morning and saying, I'm gonna do this. There is no other way. I'm just gonna I'm gonna step up to the plate, do whatever is uh is thrown in my direction, and and not only just do it, but try to be the best at it.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

And the next one is if you could speak directly to the people who opened the door for you, what would you say?

SPEAKER_02 11:20

For this one, I'm gonna speak directly to to Justin. This this this definitely strikes a nerve for me because in my 10 years in workforce before coming to RPC, I worked in a very hostile environment. Curse words every day, getting screamed at for not hitting numbers, not really valued as an employee, kind of just the statistic. You're here to make us money, go do go make us money situation. Um, and that was hard for me. I was looking to grow. I wanted to accelerate, you know, if I brought ideas to a manager, it was it would get shut down immediately to Justin. I just want to say I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to serve under you, to learn from you. It actually chokes me up because I can see I can see the growth. Just just thank you. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

I I also know how it feels to you know, have worked uh in industries where I'm just a number and not actually valued. So it's been night and day difference, just like feeling feeling valued, feeling you know, actually like being seen as a person. For me, I would say that your work is meaningful and it creates real and positive change in our communities and in the world.

SPEAKER_02 12:32

And lastly, how is your vision of the future shifted because of this apprenticeship?

SPEAKER_00 12:37

Personally, the apprenticeship program helped me view myself as a future leader.

SPEAKER_02 12:43

And I will I will second that because you know, once before I thought I was just gonna be a solo peneur for the rest of my life. But now that I have been working in teams, working in big groups, I truly believe, you know, that I could also be a future leader.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

As a final note, I would just like to have a shout out to businesses that are considering starting an apprenticeship program or joining an apprenticeship program. Your consideration is an investment in both your future and the future of the workforce and economy. And I think that's really meaningful for everybody involved.

SPEAKER_02 13:16

Yes, yes, I agree with that. I'm gonna speak directly to the apprentices and the incoming apprentices. This may be challenging, it may seem scary, but if you are valued and you're a place of work, I think this is the right step to take. You're not gonna see change immediately. Uh, just give it time, keep your head down, uh, work as hard as you can, ask as many questions as possible, be open to feedback, and just and just keep grinding.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

To learn more about apprenticeships, go to apprenticeshipillinois.com. Thank you for joining us for this episode, and we look forward to seeing you next time on the apprentice perspective.