“As far as jobs go, I’ve done them all,” says Cara Dattani when asked about their career trajectory. “I’ve been a lifeguard and a swimming teacher. Retail, copywriting, hospital radio. It’s been totally random, but it all makes total sense in the grand scheme of things.”

Like many people, Dattani has allowed themselves the opportunity to explore different industries throughout the course of their life, but has now landed in the field of TV. More specifically, sport TV, which presents a whole new set of challenges.

Half Welsh, half Indian and identifying as non-binary in a predominantly white cis male environment, Dattani admits that career progression in their industry has often been difficult.

As a result of this, Dattani is contemplating a pivot to focus more on the refugee charity they co-run in their spare time. Based in Manchester, HostNation is a volunteer-led befriending service which connects refugees to residents. Initially a ‘side hustle’ for Dattani, they have since stepped up to take a more active role.

As part of The Big Upskill – a campaign we’ve launched with Google to equip more people with the digital skills they need to change careers or re-enter the workforce – we spoke to Dattani about how the Google Career Certificate in Project Management is helping them look at their career options for the future, while gaining valuable skills to enhance their current freelance work. Here’s what they said…

“I want to pivot my career into something more rewarding – here’s how I’m making it happen…”