Failure is just part of the journey; lean into your errors and keep going forward. Don't stress out about things not going your way — I was a kitchen porter and handed out leaflets outside the station after university and still ended up doing ok!

Gen is a Team Leader in the Vulnerable Children Taskforce, currently working in the UK Government. In his current role, he works on child exploitation, youth crime and child refugees. Prior to this, he worked on trade diplomacy and Brexit as a Desk Officer in the Department for International Trade and in the COVID-19 Crisis Response Team in the Department for Business. Before joining HM Government, he worked in the international development sector including the Inter-American Development Bank and as a consultant.

He co-founded the UK Government's first Asia Network in response to the hate crimes happening during the pandemic, and sits on the Civil Service Race Forum, having been heavily involved in shaping and promoting the UK Government's Diversity and Inclusion agenda. He is also an instructor for the Army Cadet Force and is passionate about all things mental, spiritual and personal growth.

Take a look at Gen's profile on LinkedIn.

Do excellent work always, but it's equally important to focus on your relationships. You will need the help of others to progress and, by the same token, always take the opportunity to help those who are new or who would benefit from your expertise.

Working at the crossroads of strategy, public policy, and transformative technology, Melissa is responsible for leading Access Partnership's efforts in addressing the impact of immersive technology and virtual worlds. This includes conceptualizing and managing the Policy Innovation Hub and Policy Labs (Metaverse and AI).

Take a look at Melissa's profile on LinkedIn.

As you start your journey there are so many twists, turns, and full stops. The key is to keep going — take breaks, look at the journey so far, and look at where you want to. The most important thing is to believe in your abilities and showcase them.

Shreya has worked across multiple geographies and cultures in her role at Microsoft, having evolved from a business psychologist to a Sales Lead in the field of IT technology and Cyber Security. Her career has helped her to understand various nuances of business success, outcome driven performance and to embrace your earnings to empower others. 

Take a look at Shreya's profile on LinkedIn.

Don't worry too much about where you start. You will most likely switch roles as you better understand what you enjoy doing. Treat your career as a journey.

Following his studies at LSE, Zaheed spent the early part of his career working as a headhunter before training at Herbert Smith Freehills where he qualified as a technology lawyer. Zaheed spent time at some at a boutique technology law firm working with startup businesses before moving in-house at US technology company Rackspace. He is currently working in-house at Google within its cloud business.

LSE Careers blog posts:

• Read our blog: 'Connecting for change: Building an inclusive professional network' 
• Read our blog: 'Navigating inequity in the workplace'
• Read our blog: 'Creating diverse and inclusive workplaces'
• Blog by LSE Volunteer Centre: ‘Take Action: Black Lives Matter’ 

Across the School:

• Advancing Black Careers LSESU Society: The Advancing Black Careers Society provides a platform for Black students at LSE to participate in a wide range of career development activities such as networking events, panel discussions and skills development sessions.
• ACE PGR Initiative: LSE's Attaining Comprehensive Equality in Postgraduate Research Initiative builds on the work undertaken at undergraduate level by the Widening Participation team. The scheme emulates the principles of LSE’s existing Access and Participation Plan, which focuses on reducing barriers to accessing higher education at undergraduate level. The scheme provides tangible support to UK postgraduate research (PGR) candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds who are underrepresented at PGR level in several UK universities, including LSE.

For all sectors:

• Rare Recruitment: Rare Recruitment offers a platform dedicated to facilitating employment opportunities, including internships, open days, and training sessions, specifically tailored for students from ethnic minority backgrounds. Through partnerships with firms, Rare Recruitment equips students with skills training aimed at enhancing their professional profiles.
• Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) London: SEO London is a UK charity that provides educational, training, and mentoring support to young people from low socioeconomic and ethnic minority backgrounds. Since 2000, they have facilitated career access across global industries, collaborating with leading corporations to offer industry insights, employability support, and exclusive job and internship opportunities. Their initiatives aim to advance workplace diversity and inclusion while fostering the long-term success of our alumni in key positions within prominent organisations.
• upReach: upReach is an award-winning social mobility charity founded in 2012 that have that supports undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds to access and sustain top graduate jobs. Working in close partnership with leading employers and universities, upReach has delivered a programme of one-to-one coaching to eligible undergraduates. They currently provide personalised support to 3,000 students from across the UK, helping them to discover different career options, and develop the vital skills, networks and experiences needed to succeed in their chosen career and beyond.
• Bright Network: Bright Network is a high-growth media tech platform changing the way undergraduates and graduates connect with leading employers. With over 300 firms already on board, Bright Network enables companies to reach and recruit a diverse and inclusive pool of high-calibre talent.
• BYP Network: BYP network was founded in 2016 to harness the power of the Black community. Through AI-powered platform 'Javelin', they connect Black professionals to personalised career opportunities such as jobs, mentorship, events and content based on their career goals.
• Inclusive Graduates: Inclusive Graduates is the not-for-profit arm of Inclusive Boards. They work with undergraduates and professionals from underrepresented groups. Through their A-CAN (African Caribbean Alumni Network) campaign they have direct access to over 20,000 role model Black undergraduates and recent graduates across the UK.
• 10,000 Interns Foundation: The 10,000 Interns Foundation exists to challenge the underrepresentation of Black talent in the workplace through its internship programme, its Black talent network, and its training and development opportunities. The Foundation also provides support for socio-economically disadvantaged and disabled students and graduates, both within and beyond the internship programme.
• Parity Project: The Parity Project seeks to improve the employability and employment outcomes of young Black men living in London. By utilising the skills and expertise of corporate volunteers as part of the project, ELBA will deliver a range of interventions that support greater labour market engagement and participation among young Black men, and raise awareness of and vital access to sustainable career opportunities. They offer the young men corporate insight tours and visits, networking seminars, and employability sessions with industry professionals, in addition to mentorship, work placements, and shadowing schemes.
• Eagles Graduate Programmes: Eagles is a six-month, paid graduate development programme. It is a unique opportunity for recent graduates to join a top London firm and gain up to three weeks of inclusive training, giving them the tools and experience to build a career in the City.
• Migrant Leaders: Migrant Leaders is an independent UK registered charity that inspires and develops disadvantaged young migrants across the UK to broaden their horizons and capture opportunities well beyond their aspirations, through the knowledge, skills and confidence their programme provides to take on leadership roles in major public and private sector organisations. 

Sector-specific:

Banking and finance

• Uncovering Prospects: Uncovering Prospects is an annual event for high potential students of Black heritage interested in exploring internship opportunities in the City of London. Through informative presentations, panel discussions and informal networking, this virtual event offers attendees the chance to learn from professionals working at the world’s top City firms. It’s a unique opportunity for students to come along and discover the graduate programmes and penultimate-year internship opportunities available at a wide range of organisations.

Creative industries, including journalism

• Creative Access: Creative Access is a social enterprise providing career-long access, opportunities, support and training to make the creative economy better reflect society. For individuals from communities underrepresented in the creative industries, they provide career inspiration through events, role models and mentoring, and access to careers through CV clinics, paid internships and jobs.
• Journalism Diversity Fund: The Journalism Diversity Fund (JDF) awards bursaries to people from diverse backgrounds who need help funding their NCTJ journalism course.
• Mama Youth: MAMA Youth offers a series of training programmes throughout the year to equip young people with the skills to become work ready and gain employment within the broadcast and media industries.

Law

• Aspiring Solicitors: Aspiring Solicitors helps aspiring trainee and qualified solicitors from diverse backgrounds prepare for and secure work placements, vacation schemes, training contracts and Associate roles with some of the UK and Ireland's top law firms, legal departments and in-house legal teams.
• Black Solicitors: The Black Solicitors Network is the primary voice of Black solicitors in England and Wales; committed to achieving equality of access, retention and promotion of Black solicitors since 1995.
• A&O Shearman Black Student Lawyer Programme: The Black Student Lawyer Programme provides talented Black students with access to A&O Shearman, levelling the legal playing field, breaking down barriers and setting you up for success.

Public relations

• Taylor Bennett Foundation: The Taylor Bennett Foundation is a charity that exists to encourage ethnic minority graduates to pursue a career in communications through their award-winning PR training programme, and internship and mentoring programmes. 

Non-profit

• Charityworks Fast Track: The Charityworks Fast Track is an opportunity to gain professional development experience in preparation to launch a professional career in the non-profit sector as well as fast-track access to the Charityworks Programme.

Psychology

• The BiPP Network: The Black and Minority Ethnics in Psychiatry and Psychology Network provides a community for registered and prospective mental health professionals who self-identify as Black African or from the diaspora, Caribbean or mixed heritage to acquire social, emotional, psychological and developmental support. They work to advance the representation of Black people in psychiatry and psychology by hosting events and activities which address and tackle racial inequalities in the mental health profession, as well as providing advice, guidance and consultancy to organisations who wish to advance racial equity, diversity and inclusion. 

Science

• BBSTEM: BBSTEM is a non-profit organisation campaigning for balance and representation of Black individuals in science, technology, engineering and maths. They aim to encourage, enable, and energise individuals in business, industry, and education to widen participation and contributions of Black individuals in STEM. They inspire the young Black British generation to pursue STEM subjects in university and beyond and they aim to have Black parity in the UK’s STEM workforce, from school to the highest level in industry.