I know I'm only 23 years old, but I feel like I've learnt a lot so far in my 20's. I remember so well being 16 years old, going to school everyday to see my friends and gossiping up and down the corridors, not knowing where I was going to be and what I wanted to do in the next 5-6 years. Those years flew. Back then, I didn't know I wanted to be in the career I wanted to be in or how much I should have tried harder to really know what I wanted to do in life. But, I feel now that I am in the career I love (and hopefully good at), doing what I feel that I need to do to better myself for the future.
I tried really hard in my GCSE's and came out with grades 16 GCSE's from A*-C, by the time I did my A-Levels, I kind of flunked them because I didn't put the effort in, I was focused on my social status and personal life. By all means, I didn't fail but I didn't get into the local university I wanted to be in and ended up going through clearing and in a university 40 miles away from home, meaning I moved away for 3 years. I was terrified to leave home, but I'm so glad I did. Those 3 years taught me to be independent, how to look after myself, facing the scary world on my own, and strengthening my distant love for my boyfriend, and family. Again, I tried my hardest at my BA degree but when I look back, I know I could have did better. In my opinion, it wasn't the greatest university and the course was a bit mediocre. I ended up with a high 2:1, so it wasn't complete waste of 3 years, I just know my independence was more valued to me personally, than the actual degree. Even before I went to university, I had it in my heart to do a Masters degree, because my parents always wanted me to. But when I finished my BA, I debated whether I really wanted to do one for myself or for my parents. In the end, I ended up doing an MSc at my original local university and it was the best year of my entire education. I learnt more in the 12 months there, than I did in the 3 years prior. I met some amazing people from around the world, learnt about different cultures and was 1 of 4 to be awarded a distinction in the class, which I'm very proud of.
What I learned and what you could learn: So yes, I wish I did try harder at school and appreciate what I had but had I not gone through all that in the first place, I don't think I would have tried as hard for my Masters, which was the most important to me. Having a full education isn't everything, but important if you want a serious professional career in something like Law, Business, Teaching or Engineering. Always take the opportunity to do something, and if you try and fail, at least you know you can say you've tried.
Work Experience and Career
I really didn't know what I wanted to do/be when I was in school. I think it's a bit cray cray to ask a 17 year-old what they want to be or tell them to study a course at university that 'you're good at'. I loved textiles when I was in school and at one point I wanted to be a designer of some sort - fashion designer/interior designer, but I knew how hard it is to crack this path. I ended up choosing to study business because I enjoyed that at school, did reasonably well at, but failed to get on to the course. I ended up in the busy world of marketing and social media, and soon realised this is what I love doing. I grew up in the world of Social Media, since my Hi-5/Bebo/MySpace days, I enjoyed being on them, and studying my Masters of Science, I started to fully understand the theoretic side of consumer behaviours, and why we're obsessed with the world of social media. I got work experience working in a digital marketing agency after my BA, then eventually got a full-time permanent job there, and have been there for nearly 2 years now, even though it really doesn't feel like it. Social media is 24/7 and although my job description is supposedly office hours 9-5, it isn't it. If you're serious about being in this industry then expect to be working at all hours of the day because if you have international clients, 5pm for you is still 12pm working hour for them, so it's important to understand that, and learn to adapt to that routine. I love my career, but for a long time, I wanted to do a personal project for myself and that's where blogging came into. I wanted a project that I could fully have control of and better myself, at the same time. Blogging benefits my career/job in many ways, in terms of content writing, coding, photoshop and CMS, which are all very useful skills in many jobs out there.
What I learned and what you could learn: Seek experience and own what you love. Love fashion, art, beauty, gaming, fitness, coding or even cooking? Then seek your experience through blogging, work experience, events, travelling and even classes/lessons. Don't be afraid to ask for experience, I emailed about 30-40 agencies before ONE got back to me and that was the one I am in now. You will get people saying no but that 1 yes is the foot in the door, even if you are working for free, it is a lot more valuable than you think. I worked unpaid for 3 months before proving I was capable of doing the job, and received a permanent role. I wish I started blogging back when I was 16, and did work experience between my years at uni, so I was more valuable when it came to applying for my first 'real' job. You're never too young to start something you love and you're never too old to start something new.
[My 2 longest and closest friends, Kate & Emily]
[My other half, Scott]
Friendships and Relationships
It's great if you're surrounded by a whole load of friends but I have to say, I've always had a small group of friends for the last 10 years. Many have come and gone but I would say I have only a very few close (great) friends in my life. It doesn't necessarily mean I have a difficult time making friends, or I'm an unfriendly person, I just enjoy having a small-knit of friends. Less friends, less drama, I say. Scott, and I have mutual friends because we went to school together, so his friends are my friends and my friends are his friends. Scott and I have been together for just over 8 years, and known each other for 12 years. Although we haven't had the most perfect relationship (who does?), we've stuck by one another through some really bad times and realised our imperfections are perfections to each other. We've learnt a lot about each other, how to deal with each other and each other's expectations. A lot of people have asked why we aren't engaged, married or have babies yet and to be honest, it's just not important to us right now. We have only just started up in our careers, and we have so much we want to do with out lives before we settle. We're working towards developing good careers for our dream home, and travel the world before we settle into anything serious. We're more than happy, and every relationship is different - we just have a very different perspective to what is considered as 'normal' at this stage of a relationship. I have considered the idea of not getting married for recent personal reasons, but being who I am, I will want to make the sentimental commitment to Scott. Eventually.
What I learned and what you could learn: Friends will come and go during your time in school but the ones that really matter, will still be here today. So cheesy but so true. You can certainly have old friends, but great friends will make the effort for you. If you're in a relationship, there's no hurry to do the 'normal' things like get married and have kids. You have plenty of time to do that. Enjoy your life together, see the world and do fun things, before it's too late.
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