How it started
I studied Biomedical Science and specialised in Neuroscience & Mental Health at Imperial College. In my final year, I had no idea what I wanted to do. After graduating, I looked at lots of job recruitment posts but none of them interested me – I felt very lost and confused. I decided to do one year in Business Management at Imperial College and, just before starting, I found Compass Pathways. It was the first recruitment post I ever saw that was related to mental health. For the first time I felt enthusiastic to apply for a role. I had Bulimia Nervosa (an eating disorder) for four years in my teens, so a mental health related job sparked a passion in me.
Working in new areas
From the get-go, I worked hands-on in different areas that were new to me. Anais, who was my manager, was understanding of my university commitments, and gave me individual projects that would allow me to take it at my own pace alongside academia. We discussed which areas I’d enjoyed and learnt the most from. This allowed me to shift projects to explore what I would like to do in my career. As a result, I have not only found the ideal profession for me, I have also gained a lot of skills and knowledge in the process.
"For the first time I felt enthusiastic to apply for a role."Opportunities to learn
From the start, Anais has been a true mentor and an inspiring leader. Throughout the projects, she gave me motivation and recognition, and I was able to learn a lot from our constructive feedback sessions. She also took time out to organise weekly career-searching exercises and provide me with advice. Marco, our Chief Commercial Officer, gave me valuable opportunities and was open and trusted me to support new projects, one of which was in digital mental health, the area I now want to work in long-term.
Dina helped me to get experience in the field whilst meeting inspiring companies. She is also a great team leader who listens to individuals and creates a safe environment where interns can comfortably raise questions. I think it’s also important to mention that George (our CEO) kindly took his time to share his thoughts and advice on building a career path. I recognise that this may not happen in many companies, where the leader takes time to check on even part-time interns like myself. My colleagues at Compass were flexible, hard-working and supportive. I particularly loved how some of us used to meditate together in the office.
My next steps
I have decided to study for a Master’s at King’s College that will fuel my growth in the field of digital mental health. Thus, after my time at Compass, I can now say that I have found direction regarding which career I want to pursue and the next steps I need to take to achieve it.
"My colleagues at Compass were flexible, hard-working and supportive. I particularly loved how some of us used to meditate together in the office."