Pencil skirt, top tucked in, corduroy jacket, heels … check! Confidence and determination to impress … definitely check! And off I went on my first day of work experience with 'The Gloucester Citizen'. Something I've always wanted to do since work experience week at school. Of course when you have to be 18 to do anything in journalism I had a long wait ahead of me, and making tea and coffee in a demolition contractors office wasn't the great working life experience I'd been waiting for. But then making tea has always been a valued skill in my house.
However two years and a college course (that didn't really give me any journalism experience either) later, I'd landed myself some work experience with the Citizen, another vital step on the proverbial ladder. Another little silver lining was that I didn't have to wear an oversized promotional jacket and leggings for once. Finally I was able to dress up heels and all. Although note to self: buy more smart trousers. Pencil skirts in this weather are a death sentence.
I'd always wanted to be in journalism since the age of 11, when my previous ambitions were to be a song writer, zoo keeper and every little girl's first choice of career- a princess. When you have dreams and ambitions as a child, getting to actually achieve those dreams seems like an impossible task. It seems so far away in the future that you can't really ever imagine being old enough to have a job so you don't really worry about it, and just think "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it!"
Of course I'd always thought that I'd get out of college and jump straight into a job. Then I'd later found out that was a bit of a long shot and I had absolutely no experience what so ever in journalism. Then you realise how important it is to not give up at the first hurdle, to take the job that may eventually lead to better things and to work for nothing to prove your worth. Currently I'm doing the latter.
But then I'd never imagined on my first day I'd be writing articles that would be published in the paper. I expected calling up various people to book photos or transfer them through to the real journalists. But getting to interview people and actually earn a place in the paper was surreal. And there was my article, in black and white, with the by-line 'By Lauren Phelps' underneath it. Not going to sugar coat it I did shriek when I saw it. It finally felt like all those years working hard at school and getting top grades in college had finally paid off. I didn't give up and now my article was in the paper! And perhaps most importantly there was no Miss Gloucester 2013 in sight, it was something I'd done all on my own as Lauren Phelps and no sash and tiara was involved. It was definitely a rite of passage that might surpass most of my past, present and future ones, and hopefully not one of my last.
However two years and a college course (that didn't really give me any journalism experience either) later, I'd landed myself some work experience with the Citizen, another vital step on the proverbial ladder. Another little silver lining was that I didn't have to wear an oversized promotional jacket and leggings for once. Finally I was able to dress up heels and all. Although note to self: buy more smart trousers. Pencil skirts in this weather are a death sentence.
I'd always wanted to be in journalism since the age of 11, when my previous ambitions were to be a song writer, zoo keeper and every little girl's first choice of career- a princess. When you have dreams and ambitions as a child, getting to actually achieve those dreams seems like an impossible task. It seems so far away in the future that you can't really ever imagine being old enough to have a job so you don't really worry about it, and just think "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it!"
Of course I'd always thought that I'd get out of college and jump straight into a job. Then I'd later found out that was a bit of a long shot and I had absolutely no experience what so ever in journalism. Then you realise how important it is to not give up at the first hurdle, to take the job that may eventually lead to better things and to work for nothing to prove your worth. Currently I'm doing the latter.
But then I'd never imagined on my first day I'd be writing articles that would be published in the paper. I expected calling up various people to book photos or transfer them through to the real journalists. But getting to interview people and actually earn a place in the paper was surreal. And there was my article, in black and white, with the by-line 'By Lauren Phelps' underneath it. Not going to sugar coat it I did shriek when I saw it. It finally felt like all those years working hard at school and getting top grades in college had finally paid off. I didn't give up and now my article was in the paper! And perhaps most importantly there was no Miss Gloucester 2013 in sight, it was something I'd done all on my own as Lauren Phelps and no sash and tiara was involved. It was definitely a rite of passage that might surpass most of my past, present and future ones, and hopefully not one of my last.
