I was initially interested in studying journalism and remember doing research in the school library and requesting lots of university prospectuses. I decided that would be too niche though, especially if I changed my mind later on. I loved geography, so decided to study that instead as I knew the course would develop a host of different skills that would keep my options open. Both Mr Smith and Mrs Mackie (my geography teachers at the time) offered me great advice.
After a random trip down to Newcastle one day, I fell in love with the city and decided to explore the degree programmes on offer and subsequently attended Newcastle University's open day. My biology teacher, Mr Walker, also highly recommended the city, so I was sold!
After that, my heart was set on studying a BA in Geography here - and that's what I did! More than 20 years later, it's still my home!
Extra Curricular & Work Experience
I worked in a local shop part-time, which was great for developing my communication, team-working, and time-keeping skills. I was a prefect in both S5 and S6 and that was a real confidence boost for me, as I was incredibly shy. I also arranged work experience at the Stirling Observer to explore my interest in journalism and get more hands-on experience in a workplace environment. In hindsight, I wish I had experimented more with different hobbies in my spare time though.
Communication skills and creativity have been incredibly important throughout my career. I ended up studying a postgraduate diploma in magazine journalism, which honed my written and verbal skills further.
In my spare time, I now run a lifestyle blog, publish a newsletter on Substack, have freelanced for various publications, and very soon, I will be launching a podcast. All of these activities are great for developing my communication skills and channelling my creativity, and this all feeds into my day job and enhances my CV.
If you want to break into the creative industries - it's never been easier to access these platforms, build an online portfolio, and show prospective employers what you can do. Plus, it's also lots of fun!
You don't need to have your career all mapped out by the time you leave school and it's okay to change your mind when you're 18, 28, or even 38!
Try to embrace as many different experiences and opportunities as you can, whenever they come along.
Travel - even weekend trips away or city breaks. Once you get a full-time job and become more settled into your career, it becomes harder to be spontaneous, so take advantage of this while you can!
You won't know if you like something or if you're any good at it, unless you give it a go. So try lots of new things and figure out what you enjoy most, then explore careers that match those passions.
And trust your gut feeling - it always knows best!
