Kirstie's job log: 29

Just me, myself and I 

After I made the decision to hand in my notice at work in order to have some time off before going back to university, the days have flown by and suddenly there’s only one week left until my last day.

Over the past week I’ve noticed that my workload has slowly been getting lighter and lighter; management has obviously acknowledged that I’m leaving shortly and has started passing bits and pieces onto others in the office. It seems that I might not be being replaced, at least not for a couple of months and instead they are trying to share out the load to see if the office can cope being permanently with one person down. I have also noticed that this doesn’t seem to have made me the most popular person around. 

It’s quite daunting to think that this time, when I leave I will have nothing planned and no job to go to; just me, myself and I for the next few weeks. I have this idea that I can use the time to work on my self-discipline, by getting up early every morning and having a plan that doesn’t involve watching the TV all day. However, the chance of this strict regime lasting longer than the first day is very slim; as soon as I have the house to myself with no one around to make me get up I’m sure I’ll conveniently forget the idea.

Lots to do

Despite that, there is actually an awful amount of things that need to be done before I start the course in September. The accommodation fees are due very soon, along with the tuition fees. I’m still not entirely sure what the start date of the course is, or when it finishes, and I should probably start buying things off of the book list (and possibly even reading them as well). Then there are all the small things to do; like cancelling gym membership, changing the address on my bike insurance and finding somewhere for my pet fish to live.

I’m also going to be moving back home at the end of the month; we finally found someone to take my place and it made sense for me to save some money by living back at home until my course. So in my first week of unemployment, I’ll be boxing up all the junk I’ve accumulated recently and getting it back into my parent’s house, before having to unpack it again, then work out what I want to take to uni with me and repacking it once more. I’m really looking forward to once again eating dinners that haven’t come out of the microwave; but at the same time I’m really going to miss having the freedom to do what I want. And of course I’ll miss living with all my housemates!

Face to Facebook

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from the course director inviting me to join a Facebook group that has been setup so that everyone can get to know each other before starting in September. It means I’ve got to know a few of the others on the course quite well, and it’s amazing to read the stories behind how everyone got to the point where they chose to study journalism. There are quite a few from all around the world; so far I’ve spoken to people from India, Germany, Turkey, and Ireland, and there are so many different Journalism courses; from Broadcast Journalism to International Journalism.

It turns out that one of the guys who will be studying the same course as me only lives a few miles away; and we even have some common friends. In fact we have probably met each other before but neither has really registered it, so we’re planning to meet up next weekend for a chat about the course. From different people in different countries to someone in your own backyard; I’m beginning to really looking forward to the start of term in September!

Read Kirstie's previous job logs.

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