Reading Time: 3 minutes
Considering I’ll be going to uni in September, I figured that I better start taking more responsibility of my future, since it doesn’t seem all that far off now! With this summer being the longest in my academic career, it seemed the ideal time to get some work experience under my belt.
‘What do you want to be when you grow up?:’ a question we know all too well. The answer has progressed and divulged throughout my life, from the typical ‘ballerina,’ to the exciting ‘marine biologist’ (which is ridiculous, considering my fear of fish.) About 4 years ago, the question suddenly became a serious one… we are asked to make the life changing decision of GCSE options, such that would shape the direction of our careers in the future. Scary.
Since then, I’ve come to realise that such a fear was a needless one. In fact, I am in the lucky minority to have such a strong idea of my desired future, even at my later stage in education. True, we have chosen our degrees/apprenticeships/etc, but so many of us are still unsure on ‘what we want to be when we grow up.’ This is why getting a feel for various industries, work places and even locations is invaluable.
I have known for a while that I want to go into journalism: I love to write, to know and to share. Therefore, I was incredibly fortunate to spend last week at ITN in London.
I commuted to and from London every day… I have no idea how people do this…
My week consisted of shadowing a range of positions: I sat in the office, I went out with reporters. I even got the opportunity to carry out an interview at Scotland Yard on my own (one of the most daunting experiences of my life!)
I also attended an interview with the newly famous Juan Mackenzie: Harrod’s cake thief!
The Skip Gardens create a burst of colour amongst the dusty greys of the building works around
One of the lighter stories I shadowed was covered by weatherman Martin Stew as he reported on the adorable Skip Gardens in Kings Cross. I even got a free, and utterly deliciously healthy lunch! This is just a little side-note, but for anyone living nearby or visiting this area, the Skip Gardens are 100% worth a visit!
My gorgeous lunch from the Skip Garden cafe
The quirky chicken coup seemed a world away from surrounding Kings Cross
Aside from daunting, exciting and eye-opening opportunities, my week gave me a general taste for television journalism. It is a false assumption that work-experience is only successful when you discover an environment that suits you utterly perfectly. No, while I found my week incredibly interesting, I did not have that ‘eureka moment’ where I realise that TV journalism is THE route for me. It was still massively valuable as I found an area of the industry that doesn’t suit me so well, before was too late!
Waiting to be escorted into the building
So don’t just sit around for the longest summer of your life, bored and unsure on what you want out of your future; go and find out. Gain the experience that future employers love to see and that you will gain from personally.
What’s more, I met Blue’s Simon Webbe and Reggae Reggae Sauce’s Levi Roots!