Rachel Killington breaks off from her radio work to see how her fellow bloggers are getting on. Changing plans I always look forward to ‘post blog Wednesday’, when Prospects’ new edition of the digital magazine is printed. Yes, I love seeing my job log immortalised on the World Wide Web, but I very much look forward to seeing how my fellow bloggers are getting along in their quest for career success and satisfaction. I think of Laura and Sarah as comrades and allies in the war against occupational disappointment, and can identify with them both on so many issues they face.
Laura’s last instalment I found particularly poignant and indeed relevant to my own situation - as a child I had envisaged my ‘perfect’ existence and by 22 I had planned to be in my own little house (possibly with a picket fence in the garden), with a doting husband (who closely resembled Shane Filan from Westlife), and children (blonde hair, blue eyes) playing around my feet. I too, had planned that by now I’d be happily settled and content. I’ve since found out that life doesn’t always work out how you intend it to - and once you’ve removed the rose-tinted spectacles, you might see that sometimes reality can be better than the faultless ‘chocolate box’ existence you’d envisaged. Change of attitudeI haven’t always been the eternal optimist. I used to believe I wasn’t good enough to be in my radio position and it was blatantly obvious to everyone else that I felt that way. I guess it was a built in defence mechanism - I’d recently lost the job I loved working in television, and was very hesitant to get too involved with another, in case I was disappointed again. One of the presenters at work recently informed me that when he first met me he found me very ‘abrasive and snappy’ and believed that I wouldn’t last five minutes. And I guess if I’d have kept that attitude up, I wouldn’t have lasted long. My resolution this year was to put my heart and soul into my job, and be the very best I can be, but that did require an attitude change. More than anything, honesty, compassion and optimism are qualities that matter to me. I’m a great believer that everything happens for a reason, and try to look on the bright side. So Sarah, in her last blog, didn’t have any news from the ‘perfect’ job she applied for. Maybe that job wasn’t for her, and that means she will be available when another, even better one comes along. Meanwhile she cannot afford to go out for lunch with her friends because of money worries, but at least those friends will stick by her whilst times are a bit rough. And Laura says that at 26 she hasn’t had kids, written her first novel or bought a house, as she once imagined she would. I don’t know many people that have done that at her age. And I also don’t know anyone else that has been such a positive influence for so many children nor taken the opportunity to experience living in a foreign country. There are so many possibilities and opportunities in life, and it’s important not to get downhearted, even though at times it may seem that life is pretty bleak. Gifts on the wayThis morning I went into town with my mum, to buy goodies to put into the shoebox we’re making together to send to underprivileged children in Romania for the radio station’s ‘Load the Lorry’ appeal. As I busied myself selecting gloves, soap, hair clips and furry socks, it dawned upon me. Life may not always turn out how we’d planned. Often we can get so caught up in self pity that we can lose sight of reality. Forrest Gump once famously said ‘Life is like a box of chocolates…you never know which one you’re gonna get’…and if you don’t get what you’d hoped for, don’t lose heart…because what you actually DO get might be even better than what you’d hoped for in the first place. See Rachel's previous job logs:Prospects Graduate magazine is aiming to expand the team of bloggers. If you would like to lay bare your soul and job plans every fortnight, please get in touch. | 
