Matt's job log: 17

The story so far... Following his Masters in Mass Communications, Matt has had stopgap jobs in his native Birmingham for the past year. Surely that's long enough?

Happy ending

It’s almost exactly a year ago that I was sat, bored senseless, on a reception desk contemplating how to escape my new temping job. It was a pretty cushy position at the time. I’d scored a week’s part-time work in the residential wing of the hospital and the biggest decision I had to make was how fast to spin round on my chair. It was a more innocent time, a time when I was a little less jaded, a time I actually worried about my work-time internet use, so it was with fear in my little heart that I opened up a web browser to check my email.

Now, this was before the jackboot of the IT department had come down, and we were able to log onto our hotmail accounts. It was a better, simpler time. I wasn’t idly browsing but checking for something specific. I’d recently replied to a call for recent graduates who wanted to write about their experience finding work. I was a recent graduate. I was looking for work. I needed something to break up the boredom of nine to five. Why wouldn’t I apply?

To cut a long story short, before this post becomes a bloated nightmare, I didn’t get the gig at that particular time. Prospects had too many wannabe journalists blogging for them (apparently) but I was, a little more lucratively, offered the chance to write a few articles and when the number of bloggers dwindled was asked to take up the slack. So, since January I’ve been keeping you all up to date with my progress and trying to offer a little help and hope to those looking for work. I’m glad to say that finally, I’ve managed to get a job and that unfortunately the blog has run its course. I got the term ‘blog’ in on four occasions in that paragraph. I’ll try to cut down as of now.

To Manchester

Anyway, luckily (?) for all of you, I’m not going very far. The job I managed to score is with this very company (the lovely, lovely people). I applied for a position as editorial assistant about a month ago and managed to score an interview. I bought a nice new suit, sent off some samples and persuaded my mom to drive me up to Manchester. I was shown around the Prospects building, performed a short editorial exam and was then interviewed. Thankfully, I managed not to fluff it, and a week later was looking for accommodation up in that north.

Obviously, the whole affair has been nowhere as simple as I’ve just made out. The entire process has been filled with fear and excitement in equal amounts, but things have moved so quickly recently that I’m finding it hard to remember the details. It’s only in the past week that I’ve managed to secure some accommodation, finding a room in the student district with four girls, a guy and a dog. I’m now looking to buy a new bed, comparing the prices of rental vans and roping in friends to help with the move.

It’s a strange feeling. While I’m happy to relocate for the job, I’m completely content with where I’m living at the moment. I’ve always found it hard to settle down, but feel completely at home in my current flat. Obviously, this isn’t enough to stop me taking on a great opportunity, but I didn’t expect to feel so cut up about leaving Birmingham. I really should just quit whining about it.

Farewell to despair

So that’s it; the final curtain, the end of an era, or some similar sentiment. There’s not a massive amount of parting wisdom that I can give, having seemingly stumbled into a job that’s perfect for this stage in my career. I think the best I can do is to say that you have to take any and every opportunity that comes your way. It was only by chance that I spotted an advert twelve months ago, but by just sending off an email I managed to gain a wealth of experience, begin to build a portfolio of work and ultimately secure a job doing something that I enjoy. It’s only in the past month that everything has come together. Time has dragged somewhat since leaving uni, and despair has set in more than once. But by hammering away at applications, taking work experience whenever possible and refusing to settle for something other than what I enjoy, I’ve finally made it. Well, to the first rung of the career ladder at least.

• See Matt's previous job logs.

Suggestions to editorial@prospects.ac.uk