Vocation, vocation, vocation

Last month I celebrated six months at Velvet, so thought I’d do a blog on how it’s been for me.

I managed to get a job straight out of University and I think I’m very lucky to be in this agency. It’s not every day that you can laugh with the MD of your company, or often joke around with your line managers, but that’s a perk of a small, close-knit agency.

I didn’t do a degree in PR, so when I came into the industry I only had the knowledge that I had researched online and I soon realised that, in reality, it’s really different. Everything I have learnt, and continue to learn, is through watching everyone else in the office. Through this, you notice the differences in style, technique and language; and then it’s all about developing your own.

However, it’s not a career that you can just float through. It’s hard work. You’ve got the take the highs with the lows and learn to deal with your own stress, otherwise it’s a downward spiral. Sometimes it feels like you’re being thrown in the deep end, but when you get the results you want you realise that you needed to have that petrified moment to sort yourself out.

Did I think that I would be doing PR when I started University? No. If I’m honest, I hardly knew anything about it! Witnessing the industry first hand has taught things that a degree never would. It’s given me a thicker skin, helped me to develop creative ideas and strengthen my writing skills. It’s an industry where you don’t stop learning, and I think that’s one of my favourite things about it.

Have I found my vocation? I don’t know yet. I’m 21 and have only been doing this for six months, but am I taking full advantage to learn as much as possible whilst I’m part of this company? Of course, and I will continue to be committed to the industry, and my company, for as long as I am learning and delivering value.