Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.

Whatever they tell you at school, whatever your parents think, what you end up doing for the majority of your life may bear little resemblance to what you study.

I have friends that studied journalism who work as bank clerks, others who took fine art and now work as charity fund raisers. Friends who decided that neuroscience and psychology, or even marine biology, were definitely the right choices, (aged 18) and have retrained as an osteopath and a city consultant respectively. Of course, the university experience is about far more than simply equipping yourself with a sale-able qualification but many of us assume that we are automatically adding value and laying the foundations for our working lives. Particularly during a recession we need to believe that our huge financial investment promises some sort of return. In reality stepping straight from adolescence into academia ensures that for many a degree program has little or nothing to do with their working lives.

In my case, looking at where I am today, and my first foray into higher education, a degree in French Literature and Film Studies at Southampton University, it is difficult to imagine quite how my lifestyle based around rock music journalism emerged. Step one on this tenuous, (and unfinished) career journey was the realization that I had absolutely no interest in spending four years reading French novels and watching black and white films.

Considering my choice of university was the first major independent decision of my young life, I felt I had successfully managed to mess  it up on pretty much every level. I 'dropped out' and became a chambermaid in Switzerland instead. I know what you're thinking. How does this tie in with music journalism? Well quite obviously, it doesn't. It did however allow me to become fluent in a second language, learn to ski, and meet new people, including a former chambermaid, who liked Switzerland so much she stayed there permanently. The most important aspect of this lifestyle change however, was learning a simple fact - not knowing what you want to do with your life is okay. If you persevere, look forwards and always try new things, a path will form itself.

With that thought in mind, I returned to the UK and tried my hand at an eclectic range of professions, from 'runner' for a small advertising company to cocktails waitress for overpaid clients who didn't tip. I even took a month long placement as a full-time child minder. Funnily enough, I discovered these were all jobs I didn't really like. Fuelled by a yearning for creative fulfilment, I decided the time was nigh to return to academia and I registered for a Visual Arts and French degree at the University of Plymouth, with the eventual aim of becoming a graphic designer.

Three years later, including a six-month stint at art school in Nantes, France, I finally graduated. After a stressful summer teaching English as a foreign language at a boarding school on Dartmoor, (again, not the job for me) I took a 9-5 job as a large format printer and photo restoration specialist. At the same time I continued to work at the local live music venue, which had effectively funded my degree, Exeter's legendary Cavern Club. There is something particularly exhilarating about being a part of a community with such a strongly founded DIY ethic and sheer love of music. It wasn't long before I left my day job to work there full-time and of the many formative experiences in my life to date, I feel the DIY attitude of the local scene coupled with my unconventional educational path have had the biggest impact upon my career to date. If you wanted to put on a show or be in a band, you could. Need a poster? Need a record sleeve? Let's make it. If a touring band need a place to sleep? Stay at our house. Want to be a graphic designer? I still did. So, six months later I returned to London to give it my all.

The first thing I found out was that no-one was going to give me a job until I had at least six months experience.

What? I'm sorry, hadn't I just spent completed a degree to get a job in this industry? Apparently not. The starting wage for many creative careers (it turns out) is zilch. Living with the parents again was a shock to the system (for them as well as me) but I persevered, working first at Kings College in the student misconduct department, then at Underdog Media as an unpaid design assistant. Before landing a role at Don't Panic as an illustrator and journalist. Paying around £20 a day the six months placement did eventually lead me to Rock Sound, where I worked as an unpaid design intern for one month.

Work experience is tough, tiring, and sometimes unrewarding, but it is the best way to make contacts in the industry. Shortly after my placement finished at Rock Sound, the company needed a new staff writer, who could also use Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. The experience I had gained since my return to London along with my strong connections in the music industry convinced the editors to give me a chance, and two years later, here I am, working predominantly in editorial. I am taking on more responsibility all the time - despite never having studied journalism.

I may not have ended up where I expected to be but every experience, from breaking the news to my parents that I was 'dropping out', to working behind the bar in a local venue, has got me where I am. Where next? Who can say. But I never stop learning, and I never stop looking to the future. There are options out there for those that persevere and are willing to try new things, in the words of Douglas Adams - "Don't Panic"!

Disclaimer: Although this article is named after an Arctic Monkeys album, I am not, nor ever was, a fan of this band. In fact I even declined to act as a 'talking head' on an Arctic Monkeys DVD. I did not know they were going to pay me £120 for half an hour's work at the time. It still hurts.