“It was positive and negative but it taught me to live in the moment and to make choices based on the present rather than the future.”

The first time I got made redundant I was 18 years old, I had been working at a company after school with the idea I earn money to go travelling. But, I hadn't been so good at saving. For me the redundancy announcement after Christmas was ill timed but the package meant I could go travelling which I did in May that year.

So it was a positive for me, however, I did see the impact it had on a lot of the staff there especially some of the older ones who had been there for a long time. They were scared. Everyone managed to get a new job so their fears weren’t realised.

For me, redundancy meant freedom. I booked a ticket to Australia and ended up spending a year living out there. I even met up with another girl who had worked at the company out there and we worked together in the same place in Bondi.

The second time I got made redundant I hadn't even worked a day in the company!

I had a high flying graduate job paying over £35K (this was 2001!) and I was able to choose my start date. I wanted to go travelling before I started so opted for October 2001.

On the 11th September 2001 we all know what happened. It meant the global IT market went into further downturn and the business I was due to start at sent an email a week later offering me £5000 not to work with them! I happily took the money and spent it travelling and pursuing my diving qualification.

When I returned to the UK in February 2002 there were no vacancies as a management consultant for graduates so I went into recruitment and later education.

The redundancy changed my career path and it dented my confidence.

At 23 I had a high prestige job working for one of the top graduate recruiters and it was taken away from me. Even though it was no fault of my own I did question if I was good enough and didn't apply for any of those big name jobs.

It also made me realise that I needed to stop relying on things. I had been offered the job with a minimum of a 2:2, I was 1% off a 2:1 but didn't care as had the job. Afterwards I was kicking myself that i didn't push myself harder to get the 2:1 (nearly 20 years later I realise it didn't matter at all).

I had got a graduate loan based on the job so this was something I had to pay back and it helped spur me on to earn the money in recruitment.

It was positive and negative but it taught me to live in the moment and to make choices based on the present rather than the future. Who knows if I would be where I am now if I had got the job.