Vicky Rowland’s inspiring story of going from pregnant student to high-flying recruiter of Graduates, Interns, and Apprentices

Getting pregnant while at university can be one of the most complicated challenges a woman can go through. Unplanned pregnancies are always difficult to cope with, but when your entire future is at stake, it can feel like your whole world has come apart.

This is what happened to Vicky Rowland, Global Early Careers Lead at Sage, when she first went to university back at the turn of the Millennium.

Vicky’s story of how she got pregnant at uni before facing down the challenge to become a successful Early Careers specialist for Sage, one of the UK’s biggest technology companies comes as an inspiration to anyone dealing with similar circumstances.

Listen to Vicky tell her own pregnant student story if:

· Your daughter is pregnant at university

· You’re pregnant while at uni

· You’re an educator wondering how to counsel a pregnant student

· You work in Graduate Recruitment or Early Careers, or are looking to grow a career in this field

Can you be pregnant at university?

Although being a student when pregnant adds lots of challenges to the higher education experience, it is possible and there’s plenty of support available to anyone who does fall pregnant while studying.

There are pregnant student benefits UK residents are entitled to, such as pregnant student grants, and most UK universities offer free, confidential, in-house counselling. As for pregnant student rights—you’re entitled not to be discriminated against if you do get pregnant at university, thanks to the Equality Act 2010. So don’t worry about losing your university place as a result of becoming pregnant.

In Vicky’s case, as you’ll hear in this podcast, she chose to lean into her support network and take some time out to re-assess before returning to her studies once her little girl Jade was around six months old. But she also acknowledges that everyone’s circumstances are different and encourages young women to follow their own path.

So, can you study at university while pregnant? Yes. Should you? Listen to this podcast and glean some invaluable insights.

What to do if a student is pregnant?

If you’re an educator, at some point, you may find yourself wondering, ‘what happens if a student gets pregnant?’

In this instance, it’s up to you to do all you can to ensure pregnant students are given the opportunity to make up missed assignments, assessments or attendance points.

Additionally, from a moral support perspective, you may wish to share Vicky’s story of triumph in the face of adversity, giving your pregnant student a tangible, real-world example of how great professionals are borne out of the most challenging circumstances.

The Life at Sage podcast

Sage is one of the UK’s biggest technology companies, operating in 23 countries across the globe, offering market leading accounting, payroll and payment systems.

The Life at Sage podcast has been developed to highlight the career opportunities available to people within the Sage business, regardless of their background, identity, or personal circumstances.

In each episode, we will explore aspects of working life that people face, at different stages of their careers. We’ll look at everything from hints and tips on how to develop specific skill sets to broader issues relating to developing a successful career, such as Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Sustainability.

Learn more about careers at Sage.

Former armed forces professionals wondering what to do after military life could not find a more inspiring example than Mark Hendry MBE. This decorated former Lieutentant Colonel of the British Army is not only a true British hero, but also an outstanding role model for anyone looking for ex-military jobs in the corporate sector.

How to find jobs after military service

In this episode of Life at Sage, Mark Hendry MBE discusses the anxieties, challenges, benefits and—ultimately—the satisfaction of finding jobs after military service.

Drawing on his own experiences of leaving the British Army after a rewarding 23-year career, Mark explains what it feels like to want to find a new path in life—and just how nerve-wracking that can be for veterans who have been “insitutionalised” by military service.

He talks about the feeling of “learning a new language” in switching from the rigidity of the armed forces to the fluidity of corporate culture. And how his Officer’s ability to quickly adapt to new situations are the skills that helped him to thrive in his new corporate arena.

Mark also offers hints and tips on how to find the right “after-military careers”—including his top four things to look for from a corporate employer, and which transferable skills to draw on when starting a new job.

Is Sage good for after-military jobs?

Having joined Sage as Global Performance Intelligence Director, Mark Hendry MBE has found a corporate positition that befits his leadership “superpower” as he describes it. He talks about:

• How the Pathways programme helped him sift through ex-army jobs to find the perfect role
• The support he received—and continues to receive—from his Pathways advisor
• The diversity of thought that ex-military professionals bring to Sage and how this is encouraged by the company
• How high-performance culture at Sage reflects the team spirit of military life
• The lesson he believes the armed forces could learn from Sage on why development doesn’t always have to be upwards to the next rank
• The Colleague Success Network at Sage dedicated to former soliders, airmen, sailors and their extended families

There’s no doubt that Mark has found the transition over to the corporate world a challenge. But, by sticking to his guiding principle of “go where you feel you belong,” he says he feels he has found exactly the employer he’s looking for in Sage.

And he encourages other armed forces professionals considering leaving the services to reach out to him personally if they’re looking for help and advice on what to do next.

Enjoy the podcast.

Learn more about careers at Sage.

Of all the rare diseases in the world, or types of disability, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) has to be one of the most challenging. Especially if you’re an ambitious young woman looking to launch a meaningful, impactful career.

Meet Kerry Walsh, Colleague Experience & Operations Coordinator at Sage. Kerry was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy syndrome and a five-year life expectancy, back in 1997. Now, in her late 20s, she has defied the expectations not only of her doctors, but a society where disability work rights are still pretty much embryonic in their development.

In this inspirational episode of Life at Sage, Kerry talks to us about the book she’s written on the Spinal Muscular Atrophy disease, Finding My Feet, as well as her journey to find a disability learnership, her entry into the Sage business via the Pathways program, and the amazing work she does to amplify disability work rights as an advocate for SMA.

What is Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)?

SMA describes a group of genetic neuromuscular disorders that result in the weakening and wasting away (atrophy) of muscle tissue. There are five different subtypes of this rare disease, which vary both in terms of their severity and onset. Although there are therapies that can help to manage symptoms, there’s no known cure for SMA.

The disease involves the loss of lower motor neurons, or anterior horn cells, which are located in the spinal cord and control muscle movement. The loss of these motor neurons means that the muscles fail to receive the nerve signals that make them move, and the weakness of muscles progresses over time.

Although SMA is classified as a “rare disease,” it’s actually the second most common severe genetic disease in infants and children after cystic fibrosis, with between 1 in 6,000 and 1 in 11,000 people born with the condition.

Rare diseases—South Africa

Kerry Walsh is one of more than 4.1 million people in South Africa living with a rare disease.

Today, there are over 6,000 kinds of unique, rare genetic conditions—making them collectively fairly common. And, yet, because of the scarcity of research into each one, they can leave those who live with them feeling isolated and unsupported.

In South Africa, disability that results from a rare disease like SMA can be a challenge not only to finding depth of clinical knowledge, but also access to schooling and work, as Kerry discovered growing up.

But, though research into SMA is still relatively niche, Kerry has managed to thrive both as a student and, later, as an employee in a demanding professional environment.

Disability work support

As a determined, educated, and staunchly independent person, Kerry Walsh has been at pains to forge a career path in spite of the limitations enforced by both SMA and society’s view of careers for people with disabilities.

In this episode of Life at Sage, you’ll hear Kerry:

• Giving a view of rare diseases society can’t fail to ignore
• Championing disability work accommodations
• Discussing the amazing support she’s had from her family
• Stressing the importance of the right kind of disability ramp
• Talking about finding friendships and love as a person with a disability
• Forging a new disability definition for a more progressive working world

Listen to this episode if you’re looking for disability work support yourself, you’re the primary caregiver to a person with a rare disease, or you’re thinking about finding a disability work program for a friend or family member.

Learn more about Sage careers.