Graduate to Professional: Annabel Kaye's journey

Annabel Kaye guest writes for myGwork about the experience of going from graduate to professional, and what it's like to be an LGBTQ+ person at work.

I’m Annabel and I work as a Credit Analyst at Standard Chartered. I have been in this role for year now and have been at Standard Chartered for just over two years.

Before this I studied Physics at the University of Bath and did a PGCE at Bath Spa university. I have always been out since I was in high school and was out at university to my friends. This was always very important to me as it is a part of my identity and I don't feel it is something that I should have to hide.

There was a big LGBTQ+ community at university including a LGBTQ+ society which held frequent events, and it is where I met a lot of my friends. I feel like it is incredibly important to have a safe space like this in both a university and in a job. You want to be able to turn up every day and be who you are comfortable being, and not have to hide who you are out of fear of discrimination.

I'm also out in my job. There is a Pride Network within Standard Chartered that I am a part of, we have regular meetings and host events throughout the year. It has been nice to meet other people in lots of different departments who I wouldn’t otherwise have met if I wasn't part of this network.

I feel like University of Bath did a great job preparing me for the future as a professional worker, as they gave us lots of opportunities to network with different organisations, and supported us in finding internships and placements. I never felt any discrimination against me based on being parts of the LGBTQ+ community I found that my university was a very welcoming and supportive place to study.

Switching from a student to a professional wasn't too difficult, I came into Standard Chartered on a graduate programme so it meant I was with similar aged people who had also just finished university, and we were given time to get to know each other and the organisation before being thrown into work.

I'm optimistic about LGBTQ+ inclusion at my workplace. I have seen a lot of people joining the Pride Network recently and wanting to get involved with the events, whether they are an LGBTQ+ individual themselves or as an ally.