Reflections on my first week at 50 Degrees

Growth is an undeniable part of the human experience. We change, mature and adapt to become different people as we undertake new experiences and tackle new hurdles. This week, I have grown – from a final year graduate cramming a dissertation on the ‘jump scare’ to a consultant working in a  modern London office. 

I’ve gone from having a very rudimental knowledge of the way companies come to deliver public services - that the government outsources, and companies compete to present the best offer - to having a greater understanding of the whole bid process – thanks to a very informative presentation from the lovely Helen Holland. I’ve learnt that despite creating documents that span hundreds of pages, the word count can still be tight and that sometimes there isn’t room for an ‘e.g.’. 

I’m not going to pretend to have somehow overnight become a business professional, knowledgeable in all things bid writing and ready to write on my own, but I’m learning fast. I’m working my way through the mountain of information I’ve been presented with in my first week. I’m realising that sometimes you get overwhelmed, but you must push through this to find something comfortable, and then work back from there. I’m learning the importance of going above and beyond in a bid proposal to get top scores, and how essential it is to cover the whole of a bid specification. I’m understanding how you need to adapt when you’re faced with factors beyond your control and must tackle a deadline moving much closer.  

It's strange how similar bid writing can be to academia – you are writing something to someone else’s criteria, seeking to understand what it is that they want and how you can provide that. 

I’m so excited to see how I will grow at 50 Degrees, and how I will be shaped by my time with these football fanatics and cycling enthusiasts.  

My next challenge: can I keep a plant alive in the office? It is supposedly unkillable, but we shall see. 

Lucy Figini