And I'm shattered. Not so much because I had to work hard (more on that later) but more because of the fact that I only got about 4 hours sleep. Now, I know what you're thinking- that I couldn't sleep for worrying-but that really isn't the case. I couldn't sleep because my brain decided it would be much better for me to ponder stupidly mundane questions all night, and no matter how I tried, I just couldn't switch off. But I knew this was going to happen-for some (probably psychological) reason this always happens if I have to get up early for an exam, or work, or something. Ever do that thing where your lying there going "if I go to sleep now, I'll have six hours of sleep...if I go to sleep now, I'll have five hours of sleep"? Yeah, that was me. All night long.
So, fast foward to this morning, and I'm tired, grumpy, late, and really not in the mood to be a bright and eager intern. BUT I dragged my bum out of bed, and into.... the office. Dun Dun Duuuuun.
Actually, it wasn't like that at all. Everyone there seemed lovely- lots of hello's, and how do you do's- and I felt at ease right away. That was, of course, until I met the other intern. The other Intern's name is also Laura. The other Laura looked far more glamourous than I ever could at at 9.30 in the morning. The other Laura has a seemingly endless list of contacts and knows Pixie Lott's boyfriend. The other Laura attended the training day they didn't tell me about, so the other Laura was able to get to work straight away. The other Laura was not sat at the broken computer, which turned itself off every five minutes and refused to connect to the internet. And the other Laura has beautiful hair. Luckily for me, she is also really, really nice, but I couldn't help feel a niggle of despair when I realised that she is my direct competition should we both go for the paid position when our internships are over....
But anyway. I shall try to stop stressing about the other Laura's hair (seriously. It's gorgeous.) and mention the fact that I may have one of the best internships ever, in terms of hands on experience. There are only three of us in the 'editorial department'; two interns and a boy who finished his internship last month but is still coming into the office, presumably because he doesn't want us newbies to mess up all his hard work. (Which, by the way, is totally fine with me because he really helped me out today) The three of us are expected to create an entire edition of WhatsOn by ourselves, which is an awful lot of responsibility. I have already been set to work writing three articles, due on friday. Best get cracking then!
Monday, 9 January 2012
Thursday, 5 January 2012
New Year, New Start
Happy New Year! How's yours kicking off? I for one have already come to the conclusion that January is going to be very busy, and very different....
In 48 short hours, I shall have (hopefully) moved out of my parent's place, and into my boyfriend's, as he and his flatmate have kindly agreed to let me stay for the duration of my internship.I say hopefully, because I've yet to hear back from them, confirming that I've confirmed my place....
But I'm not going to panic until tomorrow. Right now I'm trying to pack up, which is difficult seeing as A, all of my stuff is haphazardly scattered across three floors, stuffed into any and every available storage space, and B, I'm not packing, I'm blogging...whoops.
I'm really looking forward to this move though (I've already decided I'm going whether or not I actually have an internship anymore; my mother has been dropping subtle hints for me to clear out since November.) I have spent all week buying furniture and other useful household nicknacks such as mop buckets and tea towels, because, quite simply J and C are Boys with a capital B. They know how to tidy, but they don't know how to clean. Or maybe they do, but because they are Boys they just don't see the need to own more than one tea towel (last washed about 4 months ago) or mop the bathroom floor (last mopped...erm....) so I have decided, that in repayment for letting me stay, I'm going to be their live in housekeeper. Of course, it's not just a gesture of thanks, it's also because of the fact that I simply won't be able to relax if I know the bath needs a good scrubbing.
I'm planning on making some other changes to my life too. I plan on kicking my social life up a notch...which actually means going out more than three times over a period of three months. That's right. Since October, I've been out with friends on just three occasions, and I don't even think the third time can count, seeing as it was with the same person (sorry, Ben.) I'm pretty sure I used to have loads of friends, but I've lived a sad and pathetic existence since my M.A finished. I blame lack of money, and lack of drive. Having nothing to do day in day out really sucks it out of you, and that is really, really depressing. SO I plan on making lots of new friends at work, re-connecting with old ones, and going out at least once a week, even if it's only a coffee. But not on weekends though. Weekends will be for cleaning.
I'm also going to re-establish my love affair with the gym. During my time at uni, there was no better way to work out stress than dying on a cross trainer. I know my bum will be very happy with this decision (I may have eaten one too many mince pies this festive season) though I'm not quite sure where I'll find the time for the gym yet, of course....
Oh, and of course, my main goal for January is to actually complete this internship, do it well and ideally, get a job offer out of it. Wish me luck.
Am I taking on too much? I don't know yet. Watch this space....
In 48 short hours, I shall have (hopefully) moved out of my parent's place, and into my boyfriend's, as he and his flatmate have kindly agreed to let me stay for the duration of my internship.I say hopefully, because I've yet to hear back from them, confirming that I've confirmed my place....
But I'm not going to panic until tomorrow. Right now I'm trying to pack up, which is difficult seeing as A, all of my stuff is haphazardly scattered across three floors, stuffed into any and every available storage space, and B, I'm not packing, I'm blogging...whoops.
I'm really looking forward to this move though (I've already decided I'm going whether or not I actually have an internship anymore; my mother has been dropping subtle hints for me to clear out since November.) I have spent all week buying furniture and other useful household nicknacks such as mop buckets and tea towels, because, quite simply J and C are Boys with a capital B. They know how to tidy, but they don't know how to clean. Or maybe they do, but because they are Boys they just don't see the need to own more than one tea towel (last washed about 4 months ago) or mop the bathroom floor (last mopped...erm....) so I have decided, that in repayment for letting me stay, I'm going to be their live in housekeeper. Of course, it's not just a gesture of thanks, it's also because of the fact that I simply won't be able to relax if I know the bath needs a good scrubbing.
I'm planning on making some other changes to my life too. I plan on kicking my social life up a notch...which actually means going out more than three times over a period of three months. That's right. Since October, I've been out with friends on just three occasions, and I don't even think the third time can count, seeing as it was with the same person (sorry, Ben.) I'm pretty sure I used to have loads of friends, but I've lived a sad and pathetic existence since my M.A finished. I blame lack of money, and lack of drive. Having nothing to do day in day out really sucks it out of you, and that is really, really depressing. SO I plan on making lots of new friends at work, re-connecting with old ones, and going out at least once a week, even if it's only a coffee. But not on weekends though. Weekends will be for cleaning.
I'm also going to re-establish my love affair with the gym. During my time at uni, there was no better way to work out stress than dying on a cross trainer. I know my bum will be very happy with this decision (I may have eaten one too many mince pies this festive season) though I'm not quite sure where I'll find the time for the gym yet, of course....
Oh, and of course, my main goal for January is to actually complete this internship, do it well and ideally, get a job offer out of it. Wish me luck.
Am I taking on too much? I don't know yet. Watch this space....
Friday, 9 December 2011
In which I find my results in the post...
Which weren't supposed to arrive till January.
Oh (Insert expletive here).
The worst thing was I didn't even know what was in the letter- I was too busy being all excited over the fact that I had mail (My life is very empty right now, can you tell?) Anyhow, a few sheets fall out bearing the university crest- one signed by the dean- and it was at that point that I start panicking.
It took me about 10 minutes to read the gosh darn thing....
But I passed! (Insert fireworks here!)
I'm stupidly happy, because it's finally proof that the last year of stress and tears was worth it. I have an M.A! I want to go out and celebrate... who is for the pub?
Oh (Insert expletive here).
The worst thing was I didn't even know what was in the letter- I was too busy being all excited over the fact that I had mail (My life is very empty right now, can you tell?) Anyhow, a few sheets fall out bearing the university crest- one signed by the dean- and it was at that point that I start panicking.
It took me about 10 minutes to read the gosh darn thing....
But I passed! (Insert fireworks here!)
I'm stupidly happy, because it's finally proof that the last year of stress and tears was worth it. I have an M.A! I want to go out and celebrate... who is for the pub?
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
The Pros and Cons of Living with your Parents
Pros
1. Biscuits are no longer a luxury, to only be brought every 3rd Saturday of the month or in late night moments of despair (co-op shuts at 10. It’s 9.57. By god, you’ll make it. You have to make it!) No, when you’re at home, and as if by magic, the biscuit tin re-fills its self every week. And not just with Morrison’s own brand custard creams, either.
2. And it’s not just the biscuits that are in high supply....the kitchen cupboards at home are positively groaning, laden with everything from Ribena (no more pretending that cheap, nasty squash is as good, if not better) to posh tuna.
3. Two words. Home cooking.
4. And did I mention that those delicious home cooked meals are absolutely free?
5. No bills to pay = more shoes.
Cons
1. “Lights out by 11.” For some reason, when my parents go to bed, they expect me to go to bed too.....
2. Which also means that I’m supposed to get up at the same time they do. I’ve been home for about three months now. 7am starts don’t get any easier.
3. “You’re cold? Put on another jumper.” Only those who pay for the heating are allowed to touch the thermostat, even if I’m positively dying of hypothermia.
4. Lack of privacy-your old bedroom has been converted into the gym/office/been taken over by a younger sibling. Or, as in my case, your parents move to a smaller house so your bedroom doesn’t even exist. I sleep on my little brother’s floor whilst most of my worldly possessions are in storage. This results in difficult and dusty forage in the attic every time I need a book or a CD.
5. Chores. Now I don’t mind cleaning up after myself, but I draw the line at sorting through that mountain of dirty socks.
6. Lack of freedom- you have to prepare detailed itineraries whenever you plan leave the house, and they’ve taken away your house key.
7. If you want to be included in family trips or outings, you have to pay your own way because you’re a ‘grown-up’...
8. And yet you’re not too grown up to get shouted at for forgetting to take the bins out.
9. “If you don’t like it, leave!” you must keep your temper at all times, because apparently, they don’t like you being at home any more than you do.
10. You feel every bit as oppressed and misunderstood as you did as a kid, but this time its worse- you’re no longer entitled to pocket money.
Friday, 4 November 2011
Oh My Goodness...
I've gotten an internship!
I had an interview with WhatsOn for an editorial internship last week, but didn't want to blog about it because I didn't want to jinx it. Well, I thought things had gotten jinxed without any help from me anyway- for the past week I've been a nervous wreck, waiting to hear back from them, and it got to the point where I was starting to think I'd been unsuccessful. That waiting period is the worst bit, isn't it? I came out of the interview feeling really confident and oh so excited. But then of course, fast forward a week, and I'd manage to convince myself that I was rubbish and no one would hire me, ever. Even getting another interview for an editorial company in London didn't really bolster my spirits as much as it should have (I hope that doesn't make me sound like a spoilt brat) but now it finally feels like I've got this 'life' thing under control. Well, sort of.
I'm stupidly lucky- it can take people months and months of endless applying and interviewing and waiting and waiting to get an opportunity like this, and, I've managed to land this one relatively quickly, when I come to think of it. It doesn't start until January, which means even more waiting, but in the mean time I'm going to try and use the time wisely and try to get a couple more writing gigs under my belt and possibly get a Christmas job some where, because of course, internships are very very rarely paid, and this one is no exception. I worked all through my MA, and I've got a bit put away, but my savings won't last that long. I saw something very interesting on the Channel Four news last night, about unpaid interns potentially getting exploited, but it pretty much is the only way to get your foot in the door if you're as hopelessly unconnected as I am, and considering how much practical experience I'll be able to take from it, I really think it'll be a step in the right direction. At the very least, it's a tick on my to do list. Get an internship- check.
Right, what's next?
P.S I had a lovely comment from a follower today who was very nice and very supportive. Thanks very much; it made my morning!
I had an interview with WhatsOn for an editorial internship last week, but didn't want to blog about it because I didn't want to jinx it. Well, I thought things had gotten jinxed without any help from me anyway- for the past week I've been a nervous wreck, waiting to hear back from them, and it got to the point where I was starting to think I'd been unsuccessful. That waiting period is the worst bit, isn't it? I came out of the interview feeling really confident and oh so excited. But then of course, fast forward a week, and I'd manage to convince myself that I was rubbish and no one would hire me, ever. Even getting another interview for an editorial company in London didn't really bolster my spirits as much as it should have (I hope that doesn't make me sound like a spoilt brat) but now it finally feels like I've got this 'life' thing under control. Well, sort of.
I'm stupidly lucky- it can take people months and months of endless applying and interviewing and waiting and waiting to get an opportunity like this, and, I've managed to land this one relatively quickly, when I come to think of it. It doesn't start until January, which means even more waiting, but in the mean time I'm going to try and use the time wisely and try to get a couple more writing gigs under my belt and possibly get a Christmas job some where, because of course, internships are very very rarely paid, and this one is no exception. I worked all through my MA, and I've got a bit put away, but my savings won't last that long. I saw something very interesting on the Channel Four news last night, about unpaid interns potentially getting exploited, but it pretty much is the only way to get your foot in the door if you're as hopelessly unconnected as I am, and considering how much practical experience I'll be able to take from it, I really think it'll be a step in the right direction. At the very least, it's a tick on my to do list. Get an internship- check.
Right, what's next?
P.S I had a lovely comment from a follower today who was very nice and very supportive. Thanks very much; it made my morning!
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Moving the goal posts
Looking back on this blog so far, I can charter the last three months of stress, tears, uncertainty, more tears...you get the picture. Today, after handing in my MA dissertation, I can honestly say that....
I'm not yet convinced it was all worth it.
Well, no, it has been worth it; I've never worked this hard at anything before in my life, and I'm really proud of what I've achieved. But let's review this, for a second. I've spent all of the savings I was going to use to backpack across America. I've had more nervous breakdowns than I care to remember and all those months frantically dissertation writing have become known as 'how Laura got fat'. But on the other hand, I've apparently proven to potential employers that I am hardworking, skilled, dedicated and well educated. (But please, no questions on anything other than Shakespeare's history plays circa 1591-99)
I have, in theory, bags of education, because I was told I needed education to get ahead. In all of those school assemblies, it was drilled into us that without qualifications, we wouldn't be worth anything; I grew up in a fairly poor area, and it was always implied that we didn't do well in school, well, we wouldn't have a future. I wanted a future, so I did well in my GCSE's and went to college. When I got to college, I got good A levels, but I was told the qualification's I'd gotten so far wouldn't even get me through the door. Without a degree, I could never hope to aspire to a good job with an even better salary. I was told I needed a degree, so I went and got a degree.
In recent years, there has been a massive boom in the popularity of higher education. Some are blaming the recession, others are saying it's simply easier to get into uni, but whatever the reason, young people are fighting tooth and nail for university places. And with so many graduates matriculating each year, all of a sudden that magical degree that would make you stand out and get you the tops jobs suddenly isn't magical anymore. If everyone has a degree, how are you supposed to stand out?
Get another degree. It seemed like the best idea- everyone's got a bachelors, so be one better and get a masters too. It'll give you the edge. It'll set you back another £3-5000, but you'll have an extra bit of paper that says you're better than everyone else. At Aberystwyth University for example, I'm told this this year the English Department have seen their highest intake of MA students to date. More and more people are finding it necessary to stay on in higher education-until of course, employers stopped caring about how many fancy bits of paper you've got and decided that they really only want candidates who have 'experience'. Having a degree is good, and all, but all they really seem to care about is how many practical skills you can bring to the table. I know that in this economic climate companies can only afford to hire people who can do the job, and it's even better for them if that person requires as little training as possible, but it doesn't really seem fair. In fact, it's down right sneaky. The best thing for me to do now is to concentrate on getting as much work experience possible (I will gladly be the tea and coffee girl if only it means I'm allowed within 5 foot of an editing room) so if they move the goal posts again, I'll be ready for it.
I'm not yet convinced it was all worth it.
Well, no, it has been worth it; I've never worked this hard at anything before in my life, and I'm really proud of what I've achieved. But let's review this, for a second. I've spent all of the savings I was going to use to backpack across America. I've had more nervous breakdowns than I care to remember and all those months frantically dissertation writing have become known as 'how Laura got fat'. But on the other hand, I've apparently proven to potential employers that I am hardworking, skilled, dedicated and well educated. (But please, no questions on anything other than Shakespeare's history plays circa 1591-99)
I have, in theory, bags of education, because I was told I needed education to get ahead. In all of those school assemblies, it was drilled into us that without qualifications, we wouldn't be worth anything; I grew up in a fairly poor area, and it was always implied that we didn't do well in school, well, we wouldn't have a future. I wanted a future, so I did well in my GCSE's and went to college. When I got to college, I got good A levels, but I was told the qualification's I'd gotten so far wouldn't even get me through the door. Without a degree, I could never hope to aspire to a good job with an even better salary. I was told I needed a degree, so I went and got a degree.
In recent years, there has been a massive boom in the popularity of higher education. Some are blaming the recession, others are saying it's simply easier to get into uni, but whatever the reason, young people are fighting tooth and nail for university places. And with so many graduates matriculating each year, all of a sudden that magical degree that would make you stand out and get you the tops jobs suddenly isn't magical anymore. If everyone has a degree, how are you supposed to stand out?
Get another degree. It seemed like the best idea- everyone's got a bachelors, so be one better and get a masters too. It'll give you the edge. It'll set you back another £3-5000, but you'll have an extra bit of paper that says you're better than everyone else. At Aberystwyth University for example, I'm told this this year the English Department have seen their highest intake of MA students to date. More and more people are finding it necessary to stay on in higher education-until of course, employers stopped caring about how many fancy bits of paper you've got and decided that they really only want candidates who have 'experience'. Having a degree is good, and all, but all they really seem to care about is how many practical skills you can bring to the table. I know that in this economic climate companies can only afford to hire people who can do the job, and it's even better for them if that person requires as little training as possible, but it doesn't really seem fair. In fact, it's down right sneaky. The best thing for me to do now is to concentrate on getting as much work experience possible (I will gladly be the tea and coffee girl if only it means I'm allowed within 5 foot of an editing room) so if they move the goal posts again, I'll be ready for it.
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Today, someone offered me work experience!
I also hit myself in the head with an air rifle, so a mixed day, really. ( No one explained that guns have a pretty powerful recoil. And no one explained that you shouldn't actually place the sight right against your eye either. I'm going to have a black eye tomorrow, aren't I?)
But back to the work experience! The lovely people at Tindal Street Press, Birmingham are going to let me work in their publishing office for a week, and so I feel a whole lot calmer about this whole job thing- a mere two hours ago I'd decided to screw getting a real job, I was going to go and raise Elephants in Kenya instead. And it's also proof that my education may actually be worth it after all, who knew?? I'd be dancing on the ceiling right now if my head didn't hurt so much. The only teensy tiny catch is, it's not until May. As in 2012, May. A whole 9 months away. BUT if nothing else comes up in the mean time (please God, let something come up in the mean time) it does still mean that someone out there thinks I'm good enough, so there is no need to give up hope yet. And I think 9 months is the perfect amount of time to spend in Kenya, don't you?
I also hit myself in the head with an air rifle, so a mixed day, really. ( No one explained that guns have a pretty powerful recoil. And no one explained that you shouldn't actually place the sight right against your eye either. I'm going to have a black eye tomorrow, aren't I?)
But back to the work experience! The lovely people at Tindal Street Press, Birmingham are going to let me work in their publishing office for a week, and so I feel a whole lot calmer about this whole job thing- a mere two hours ago I'd decided to screw getting a real job, I was going to go and raise Elephants in Kenya instead. And it's also proof that my education may actually be worth it after all, who knew?? I'd be dancing on the ceiling right now if my head didn't hurt so much. The only teensy tiny catch is, it's not until May. As in 2012, May. A whole 9 months away. BUT if nothing else comes up in the mean time (please God, let something come up in the mean time) it does still mean that someone out there thinks I'm good enough, so there is no need to give up hope yet. And I think 9 months is the perfect amount of time to spend in Kenya, don't you?
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