DAY 20

Naomi Shilliday | Re:Hope West End

I am a Product Design student going into my final year and had missed the opportunity to get a summer internship through the traditional route. I knew it was really important to get some relevant work experience before the end of my degree but also knew how hard it is to get a job in this industry at such short notice.

At the start of the holidays I prayed, and asked friends and family to pray, for the right opportunities to open up. I ended up getting voluntary work experience in a workshop developing really hands-on skills, as well as a part-time job working on a more conceptual design project with a very experienced consultant. This gives me the full breadth of experience I need, with enough pay to keep things afloat through the summer, which is such an answer to prayer! 

After I reached out to my now-employer to ask for work experience, he told me that he had actually been trying to organise something with the Glasgow School of Art to offer an internship, but it had fallen through. He particularly wanted to provide an opportunity for people who were limited in where they could apply as they needed to stay local to Glasgow or who fell through the cracks of the traditional system. I fit both of those categories so it ended up being a double blessing as I was exactly the kind of student he was looking to help! 

The extra blessing for me is that both the volunteering and the job are focussed on meaningful projects which was a huge answer to prayer because a lot of the work in product design is ultimately just contributing to consumerism, which I didn't really want to be involved in. 

The specifics of the nature of the work, the timings of this all working out, and the way it has also blessed my employer, are all clear pointers to God's goodness and I am so grateful to Him for it!