Are you graduating or have graduated recently? ME TOO. I graduated from UWE studying Photography last year in July. I came out of the bubble of university questioning, sooo.. what happens now? It’s scary right! I’m going to share what I’ve learnt this last year pursuing my dream job in the creative industry in the REAL WORLD.
My 5 top tips…
1. Any creative industry is a HARD industry to crack, but my first bit of advice is to NOT be scared of this! It can be difficult to face up to the fact it’s going to be A LOT of work to not get very far very quick in the tough industry, but grit your teeth and GO FOR IT. Be confident in yourself and don’t hold back!! Think of all the positives of pursuing your dream job, definitely consider the difficulties and work on them but do NOT dwell on them!!
2. MAKE CONNECTIONS. This seems quite obvious but even just speaking to people in the creative industry you can learn a lot! Be brave and put yourself in vulnerable and new situations, you never know who you might meet and what you might learn! Focusing on Photography, get on Facebook to look for networking events, wedding fairs, wedding second shooting pages, EMAIL photographers even an email can make a difference. Do not exclude yourself from the industry and people in it, throw yourself in to meeting the people involved!
3. ASSIST. It’s hard to find someone to assist I can hear you say. CORRECT. It’s not going to be easy but the reward of experience, connections and gaining first hand knowledge of your potential new career is well worth the effort of trying to find it, trust me!! Use social media, use emails, phone calls, be persistent on finding experience and you will find it. Don’t give up if you get rejected 1 or 2, or 10 times. You will find something and someone to help!
4. Get yourself a diary! A lot gets thrown at you when you’re dealing with the real world. For me, balancing my daily life with full time work, socialising, keeping fit and trying to set up a new business is very hard! Getting yourself organised does help this overwhelming situation.
5. Make sure you’re loving what you are doing! If you’re not it’s NOT worth it, life is too short. The self motivation and inspiration that comes from really loving what you’re doing really helps you keep going in this very competitive industry. Even if you feel like you are not going anywhere fast or not becoming as successful as you’d hope, the enjoyment of doing the job you love should help you get past these moments of doubt and strive to keep going!
These are a few of the main things I have learnt nearly a year after graduating and even if just one of these points helps in any way, I am glad!
For more job advice from another industry have a read of Capital FM’s Pandora’s tips to getting your dream job.
