About Me
My name is Becca and I’m currently in my third year studying the BSc Leading on Customer Operations Degree Apprenticeship. While studying, I also work full-time in Danske Bank as a Financial Crime Analyst.
As a perpetually nosey person, I find learning more about the inner workings about my organisation and different sectors fascinating. Outside of work, I’m a mum of two, a booklover, a cinema fanatic, and an amateur photographer, which means I take a lot of photos of my children.
I have a son called Elijah who is seven, and a daughter called Rowan who recently turned two, and keeping up with their social lives is the most time-consuming part of my life.
Rowan was born with Prader-Willi Syndrome, which affects 1 in 30,000 individuals. She attends regular appointments with her physiotherapist, occupational therapist and speech and language therapist, requiring round the clock care. She also has a consultant, an endocrinologist, an ophthalmologist, and frankly far too many specialists to name.
She is a popular girl with everyone, especially with her brother who thinks she’s the coolest. Aside from being able to pay my mortgage and manage the bills, worrying about the two of them is my biggest preoccupation, but they’re cute, so I don’t mind.
Managing my Time as a Parent, Employee, and Apprentice
Being a parent is challenging enough, but being a parent, a career, and balancing that with full-time work and a Degree Apprenticeship is another level. Despite this, I am always looking for ways to grow and learn and I want to keep pushing myself to work towards a greater goal.
Managing my time and priorities is something that can be difficult and requires constant monitoring to ensure that I am not neglecting any part of my life, especially when it comes to my kids. Focusing on my mental health is also a challenge that I face daily.
I have lived with anxiety since I was young, and one of my most pressing challenges with balancing my studies, is making sure that I don’t allow myself to become overwhelmed with everything I have to do. If I sit and think about everything I want to achieve, and everything I must do to get there, it becomes incredibly easy to be weighed down by the pressure that I put on myself, so taking the time to check in on my own mental wellbeing is incredibly important for me.
Taking a moment to really sit with your thoughts is crucial to understanding your own capabilities, and when it is time, slow down and take a moment to breathe.
Becca Millar
Staying Organised
I truly love a list. Without a list, I would achieve nothing. When starting a new module, I review the assignment and deadline, and structure the necessary tasks to meet the deadline, creating a rough working timeline. I am regimented with my time when it comes to balancing study, home, and work, so I have a structure in place for making time for each area.
I dedicate my evenings to catching up on readings and preparing for the next lecture, usually setting aside an hour after the kids go to bed. When deadlines approach, I would be absolutely lost without my partner. He ensures I am getting uninterrupted time in the evenings and weekends, keeping the kids (Rowan, who loves the keyboard clicks, and Eli, who’s just there for the craic) happily occupied.
I am eternally grateful for him being a top chef, and king of their bedtime routine.
The Power of Positivity
Without a positive mindset, I don’t think I’d be writing this! I have approached my Degree Apprenticeship with gratitude, fully aware of how lucky I am to have the opportunity to gain experience and work at the same time.
Education is a privilege that not everyone is granted, and I am so grateful for the chance to grow and evolve and show my kids that they can achieve their goals if they persevere. I want to teach them that just because something is difficult, it does not mean it’s impossible. That’s my favourite mantra, especially during moments of frustration when I’m staring at my laptop screen and feeling lost.
In those moments, I remind myself of what my parents would say (usually with a slightly exasperated tone): “just take a breath and settle yourself”. Then, I ask the same question I pose to my son when he’s struggling with homework: “Is it impossible or is it just difficult?”.
He usually insists it’s impossible (we’re both relentless perfectionists), but deep down, we know the truth: very few challenges are truly impossible. Taking that moment to calm my anxiety and reassure myself that I am capable of anything I believe I am capable of makes an enormous difference.
A Strong Support Network
Aside from being pregnant during my second year (which was exhausting!), returning to work and study following maternity leave, and after Rowan’s diagnosis, was incomprehensibly difficult.
It was an incredible struggle to learn how to balance that time again with work and caring, and it often felt like I was always falling behind in some area, but the support from both my workplace and Ulster University has been incredible.
The flexibility and care they treated me with has made a huge difference to balancing those challenges and responsibilities, as a parent and a carer.
When I came back, I had taken a year out from my studies and work, and trying to slot back into it almost seemed impossible, but with Suzanne Kelly in Ulster University and Aisling Howe in Danske Bank, I always knew that there was someone I could talk to if I was struggling, and the group of people on my cohort are so incredibly kind and supportive which help make the challenges seem manageable.
I can be painfully stubborn when it comes to admitting I need help, but having that guidance and the knowledge that there is always someone there for support has been invaluable.
Embracing Change
Before this Apprenticeship, I would’ve said that I was stubborn, and resistant to change. I am still stubborn, but this programme has taught me how important it is to seek out change and challenges.
I am a natural introvert, but this experience has encouraged me to speak up more, to understand the value and importance of not just my opinion, but those around me.
It has given me confidence to speak in front of people, to take opportunities - even like writing this blog! I have grown so much in myself because I have given myself grace to understand that great doesn’t mean perfect, something with which I have always struggled.
I have always believed that for something to be of value it must be perfect, and this was something I really battled with during my first degree, and it had a massive impact on my mental health.
I now know that perfection is not attainable, but that something can be great and wonderful, regardless of the flaws. One of the most significant developments I have gained from this experience is knowing that there is no such thing as perfection, that mistakes are simply opportunities to keep learning, and what a gift that is to have that chance.
My Proudest Achievement
Not giving up is my proudest achievement. I know how difficult I found my first university experience, so every assignment I hand in and every passing grade I get feels like a huge accomplishment.
Carrying on and doing well in my work, being able to take part in lectures, and balancing that with my home life and work is something I will always be proud of.
Recently, I was nominated for, and won, the Rising Star award from Ulster University and their annual Degree Apprenticeship Awards. Having my work and commitment noticed and rewarded is an incredible honour - and I am still a little bit in shock! It is so incredibly humbling to know that the effort that I put in, and my dedication to the course, has not gone unnoticed.
Advice to Other Students
My advice to other students in a similar position is to make sure you have a dedicated support system in place and people who you can talk to. I’m surrounded by the most remarkable family and friends, the most supportive partner, and the most loving kids.
I have a support system in work, and one in the university, and having that foundation is the only way I would be able to succeed.
Having people to talk to, to vent to, to bounce ideas off, is invaluable. Make sure to be mindful of your own wellbeing.
Take time to still do the things you love, to see friends, watch a film, read a book - something that soothes your mind.
From experience, running yourself to the ground will never lead to success, so taking time to check in with your own feelings and listening to your own body and mind is crucial to succeeding.
Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed, and if you feel like you are, please don’t allow yourself to feel alone in it. The support from Ulster University is wonderful, and there are so many people who are invested in your wellbeing.
Future Aspirations
My main focus is finishing my degree and looking for career progression opportunities. That, and keeping my kids stocked up on toys, I’ll inevitably have to tidy up!
In the future, I would like to work on initiatives regarding Diversity and Inclusion, finding ways to make the workplace, and society, more accessible for everyone.
When you become a carer, you see how the world is not built for people who don’t fit the majority, or are differently able, and to be honest, it can be enraging.
My hope with this degree is to find a way to make improvements to the workplace—and hopefully wider society—to encourage and include people who are often overlooked or unacknowledged. I want to work towards creating a world where my kids don’t notice the things that people can’t do but rather notice all the incredible skills that they do bring to the table.
I want people like my daughter to not be defined by their differences, but by the strength of their character, and I think the first step to that, is creating equal opportunities for all, and I hope that’s what this degree will help me accomplish.