As I walked towards uni this morning, it occurred to me that had you told me twenty years ago that I would have been on my way to university, where I study, to represent the mature and postgraduate students of the University of Lincoln, otherwise known as MAPS, the group I co-founded and coordinated for its first two years, and to which I have recently been voted Chair, I would have laughed in your face. Well, actually, I probably would not have laughed; I would have blushed very hard because you had talked to me at all, and then I would have hung my head and mumbled something incoherent in reply.
MAPS was one of the first things I really felt like I had achieved in life. The first time I updated my CV (resume) to include my MAPS Co-founder/Coordinator role, I remember feeling so proud that I had actually achieved something, something that could be recorded officially on a piece of paper that I would use to get myself a job in the future.
I guess this is important to me because as I start looking at my other options now that a scholarship to study in the US is unlikely, I have to look at my extra-curricular activities, for that is what employers will be looking at. Having been a Lady of Leisure for over a year now, excluding the four month’s temp work I did last year, I have kind of gotten used to not working. However, speaking to Jon, my Life Coach, earlier this evening, I admitted that I was actually excited about going back to work. This surprised me somewhat, because I guess in the last few months my focus for the future has been on further study. But when I think about what I really want to do, I think perhaps I’m ready to go back into the working world. But not to any old office job. I want a job in publishing. Preferably a job where I can use my writing skills. Or at least, to start with, where I can help other people use theirs. (If you’re reading this and want to offer me a job, please don’t hesitate to get in contact…! Yes, I’m not beyond begging in these trying times.)
Speaking of university, I have to complete my online profile, which will go in the yearbook for the Class of ’13. If you’ve watched any American college/high school movie, you’ll know that a yearbook is full of photographs of the kids of that class, usually categorised into Girl Most Likely To Become Famous, Boy Most Likely To Become A Bank Manager…you get the idea. Since it’s not something that’s particularly traditional over here in the UK, I guess I’ve always used it a little tongue in cheek when talking about myself, such as Girl Least Likely To Have A Radio Show, Girl Most Likely To End Up On A Milk Carton….that one’s probably lost on most of the UK too, so let’s go with Girl Most Likely To Not Go Anywhere. But were I to pick the categories I’d fall into now, I hope they would read Girl Most Likely To Write A Novel, and Girl Least Likely To Give Up. Because I’m not giving up. It may have taken a long time to get me where I am now, and I’m not there yet, but I’m the Girl Most Enjoying The Journey.
