Thought about starting this blog just to be super honest about life and share what I’m up to!
So what better place to start than graduating Uni...
Graduating university is a daunting step into the unknown, add graduating during the pandemic to the mix and you have a time in my life where I definitely felt confused. For your whole childhood in education there is always a next step; GCSE’s, A-Levels, Degree. And then suddenly you graduate and there isn’t an obvious step to follow. For the first proper time in your whole life you have to actually make a decision about which path to go down.
I remember finishing my dissertation in early May of 2021. I wanted to make sure I’d finished all Uni work before my 21st in mid-May. So I finished my dissertation and basically realised that I wanted to work in radio, music or the media but had very little idea of how to get to where I wanted to be!
One thing I did know for certain is that I wanted to move to London, so to save money for a bit I got a part-time job waitressing. During this time I felt so lost.
When you imagine graduating uni as a child, you envision getting an amazing career straight away and knowing exactly what you want to do. It’s safe to say that working in a minimum wage job and hating almost every second of it was not really how I imagined grad life!
I’m so glad I worked this job as I now have a huge respect for everyone who works in hospitality and I can safely say it’s the most stressful job I’ve ever worked (I cried on my way home after pretty much every shift). Every single hour that I wasn’t waitressing, I was applying for jobs.
I applied for probably close to 100 roles, anything that was even loosely media related. I networked with recruiters. I tried everything! This went on for MONTHS AND MONTHS, all the while I was gradually struggling more to get myself to my waitressing job everyday. There were times where I honestly thought I would never find anything.
I finally broke down and quit my waitressing job, the late nights and stress of the job was exhausting me. Looking back, I wish I quit this job earlier so I could’ve focussed all my energy on finding a media role, but that’s hindsight!
One random Tuesday, I received a phone call from a recruiter saying his ‘TV Company’ client were looking for an admin assistant. I jumped at the opportunity and was booked in for an interview, then next day I found out I’d got the role working for ITV! It felt like a huge weight lifted off my shoulder as I’d finally bagged my first media role. I worked for ITV for a few months, then moved to BBC to be a resourcing advisor, while freelance DJing and presenting. I am now looking for my next steps to see where my career will take me.
What I’m trying to highlight is that I wish I had realised I wouldn’t walk out of Uni into a ‘dream’ job, I’ve been a graduate nearly a year now and am still working out what my next move will be and where I will go. Will I become a full time DJ? Will I present for the station I would love to work for? Will I work for a music label? I have absolutely no clue!
I also want to go back to how many ‘no’s’ and rejections I went through before finding anything. It took months of graft and it makes you want to give up, I cried permanently! But something is out there and any step in the right direction is an achievement, even if you don't get to your end goal right away!
Zof x
Podcast Links
Quickly want to link some podcasts that have helped me through what has been a really tough year and have given me clarity, confidence and self-belief on this journey:
Diary of a CEO: Mel Robbins: This one hack will unlock your happier life https://open.spotify.com/episode/6iM4XnnU4WrLpC6PNgDtHN?si=9Yfzamh-TTmFdAJgJqUpEw
Call her Daddy: To those feeling lost in their 20’s https://open.spotify.com/episode/5OZEvC4mOoSQWgE2CDJ4Ie?si=369982031af04e0b
The Self Love Fix
Fearne Cotton Happy Place https://open.spotify.com/show/1J6Ddy4dcXjFZDmWQs3Pu0?si=UQkRoybjSsGpJWegdVXxiQ
Changes with Annie Mac