“What am I giving back?” 

This is a question I’ve been asking myself over and over for the last year or so. And for me, creating Day of Wrk is the answer.  

What is Day of Wrk? 

In short, it is an initiative aimed at helping disadvantaged young people better understand the realities of job roles, by sharing authentic day-in-the-life stories. Studies have shown that people are less likely to apply for jobs due to a lack of understanding of what the role entails, and this is more likely to impact those from disadvantaged backgrounds as they lack network connections to find out about these roles.  

So I’m hoping this page serves as a space to help solve this issue.  

Now you’re probably thinking that you can just Google “day-in-the-life of X” for whatever job role you’re interested in. And you’re correct. You can. But they are generally full of cliches, and don’t feel authentic. For me, the stories shared on Day of Wrk have a truth to them and personable element which really elevates the stories.  

Why did I create it? 

The short story is that my younger sister asked me what I actually did for work, and the answer wasn’t just sitting at my laptop for hours on end in my bedroom! I realised that a lot of people don’t really understand the numerous job roles that exist and I wanted to come up with a solution.

While building the initiative, and speaking to various people, I realised it goes much deeper than that. My own lived experience has played a big role and it’s why I am so passionate about it. 

I am an ethnic minority. And growing up, my dream was to be a footballer. But I always knew that alongside not having generational talent, South Asians in football were extremely rare. And it wasn’t until I was in my late teens that I realised how powerful having someone that looked like you in a role that you aspired to was. It gives you confidence. It makes you think that you can do something. It allows you to take risks. There is still a huge problem in most industries - they aren’t truly diverse.  

So the secondary aim for Day of Wrk is to champion ethnic minorities and shine a light on their achievements. Every contributor on the site is, and will be, an ethnic minority. By having these inspiring individuals, I hope that young people who are ethnic minorities can visit the website and feel inspired confident in themselves and their dream. Because there will be a contributor who they can relate to. 

So who can benefit? 

There are two groups: 

1.    People who are looking to apply for a job, but are unsure what a person in that role actually does day-to-day 

2.    Ethnic minorities. I know first-hand the power of seeing someone who comes from your background in a role you aspire to, and ethnic minorities are traditionally underrepresented across industries. So, Day of Wrk aims to champion these inspiring people, and have them inspire others.  

 And what should I do? 

Creating this initiative has allowed me to reflect on myself, my privilege, and the position that I am in. I was lucky that my friend Eve worked in advertising, so I could speak to her before applying to FCB Inferno. And whilst I didn’t grow up privileged, I am lucky enough to have privilege now. So if i can give back, I should.  

It would mean the world to me if you could submit your own story (if you are an ethnic minority) or share this with as many people as possible and encourage them to get involved. 

If you want to visit the website, head to https://www.dayofwrk.com/. And check the page out on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dayofwrk/ and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/dayofwrk