We’re often our own worst critic. But when we’re able to move beyond our professional insecurities is when real potential and career progress is unlocked.
That’s exactly what happened to Gåbriela Romanïni. Since 2008, Brazilian-born Gåbriela has been working as a business analyst in the insurance industry in London. Recently, she began to doubt her career choice and felt she needed more serious qualifications to excel in her job. The King’s Product Management Career Accelerator gave Gåbriela the validation and confidence to achieve just that.
After only two months on the programme, she landed a new job. The Career Accelerator helped validate all the knowledge Gåbriela had gained on the job over the years, and took her skillset to new horizons. It re-invigorated her passion for her career path and gave her the power to choose a new company that aligned with her professional goals for the future.
We recently ran a Q&A with Gåbriela where she shared some personal and inspiring stories of her experience on the Career Accelerator programme.
How did your Career Coach and Success Manager help you to find a new job?
“My Career Coach helped me prepare for the interview. My Success Manager also helped me to calm down and trust myself. It’s fantastic the structure we receive here, and I’m getting biased now because my Success Manager was my rock during this course.”
“I’m a single mom and I have a 12-year old and I live by myself. I need to support myself; I have no network support. So I study and I work and I need to take care of a house, all on my own. So having that person that you know, the course provides that care for you […], for your problems, it’s massively important. I recently had a personal problem, I thought I wasn’t going to be able to deliver the assignment. And her words kept resonating with me: […] “you can do it”. And it sounds silly, but it’s so important. And I kept remembering that and I managed to do it. They […] sympathised with the problem that I was having at the time, and they gave me an extension, because one of the things here is that we’re all adults. I’m not in my 20s anymore where I only study and can dedicate all that time – I have a whole life going on. And the structure provided makes the whole difference to get there.”
How are you balancing a full-time job and single parenting with studying?
“The course tells you that you need to dedicate 10 to 12 hours a week. And it seems a lot and it is a lot. It’s not easy, it’s content heavy, but the structure is exciting. At the beginning I used to take maybe an hour and a half to consume the contents of one chapter within a module. And now I do five or six because the more you practise, the more you read, because remember, I was 20 years without studying, it started to all come back to me. It’s like your brain adapts to that speed, and information starts to come easier for you.”
“[My son and I] study together. I help him and then he asks me questions about what I’m doing. I did explain to him: it’s not going to be forever, but this is important for me to do now.”
It’s a six-month programme – how do you keep yourself motivated?
“I think it’s really important to keep yourself motivated but it’s the respect for the money I invested in this course. I think you need to be very conscious – it’s an expensive thing. But it’s a great investment, I don’t regret it. And if you allow me, I’d like to share a personal story.”
The video below holds the full story of Gåbriela’s journey to career development; it’s personal, inspiring, and shows her commitment to learning.
How practical is the learning?
“It’s very practical; you’re given a technique and you need to apply the technique.”
Employability is at the core of Career Accelerators. We partner with tech and employer partners, such as Atlassian and Dropbox, to ensure you gain the skills and practical experience to get you hired as a product manager.
Watch the King’s Product Management Career Accelerator video to find out more about the programme.
Tell us about your fellow peers – do you feel connected to your cohort?
“I was part of an incredible cohort of students, very respectful people, and people willing to help each other. […] And in the peer reviews, they’re so respectful with you, because you need to remember that we’re all learning. There’s no stupid [answers], we’re all trying our best. And you get motivation from your peers to carry on.”
Meet Kelli Wingfield, another learner from the King’s Product Management Career Accelerator. Like Gåbriela, Kelli was also promoted while on the programme. She attributes her success to the Career Accelerator. Read her story.
Much of your cohort don’t have product management experience. How did they progress?
“They’re dedicating themselves and they’re doing really well. They agree with me that the way that the course is structured is helping them to achieve what they want, which is a career change.”
Do you feel the Career Accelerator impacts your employability and earning potential?
“Definitely. Because I’m a mother, and I’m […] in my 40s, I couldn’t afford to take a smaller salary to change industries. […] I started doing my own research into the industries where you can be a product manager. [But then I thought] I’m not being grateful enough for the industry I am in, because I already have all of the knowledge. So, why change? Why not improve all aspects, your technical abilities, your knowledge, and then you have the perfect employability package.”
“At the time, I was working in the insurance industry and I was questioning myself; I was feeling like a failure, like, do I know this enough? With FourthRev and King’s College, I’m learning so much that now I am finding the time to start […] dedicating [myself] to the insurance market again, refreshing my knowledge and understanding.”
“I’ll be straightforward about it: I do believe the programme can help you get a better paid job. I do believe that because I got it. The Career Accelerator helped me to change jobs. In my job interview the questions they were asking me were technical and I had the confidence to answer them because I was already studying those things.”
Feel inspired by Gåbriela‘s story? Download a programme brochure to see if this Career Accelerator is right for you.
