After graduating in 2016, Kulthum found it hard to find a job that was linked to a long term career prospect. To gain new experience she volunteered at the Refugee Council as a Receptionist while also working part time as care support worker. Over the summer of 2017 Kulthum took part in Creative Opportunity Program which was run by Create Jobs. This was an opportunity for young people living in east London boroughs who were looking for employment in creative cultural industry to gain experience. The two week work experience allowed her to narrow down a career path and what she hopes to achieve.

Still volunteering at The Refugee Council, Kulthum started looking for work in the arts and culture particularly focusing on creative learning and community engagement. She then found Create London who ran a project in Newham where she lived and asked to help in various project and get some hands on experience. While supporting the producer with various tasks and activities, it allowed for her to gain new skills and experience and learn more about art and culture. Still applying for entry level jobs, she came across the production assistant trainee position and with the help of Create Jobs applied for it and got the position.

Being in the position since April, she is still learning about art and culture, but is also learning to be more confident professionally and personally. She has also enjoyed working with the diverse skilled team and learning from them. Being part of the Panic! production team and reading the paper, Kulthum realises the inequalities and barriers that young people face wanting to be part of the cultural creative industry. This is something that needs to be a continuous conversation and working towards making the industry more reflective of the country and experiences. Kulthum is hopeful for the change and would very much like to be a part of it.