Kirstie's job log: 42

The story so far... Kirstie gave up her job in sales to pursue her dream of a career in journalism with a Masters at Westminster University.

Where are the jobs? 

With the Easter break over all too quickly (I’m sure three weeks’ holiday sounded longer at the start of it!), it’s back to uni for the last few weeks of classes before heading out into the world of work.

Not that I haven’t been working through the holidays. I managed to pick up quite a few shifts at the pub, and it’s nice to know that if I can’t get anything else at least there’s nothing wrong with my bar staff skills! They even offered me work when I finish uni, until I find a more permanent job - which is going to come in handy as news of the job hunting is quite grim.

It turns out that not many media companies are looking to hire recent graduates, no matter how fresh and keen they are. Everyone is being very cautious thanks to the credit crunch, and there are plenty of out-of-work journalists with way more experience than me, also job hunting.

That hasn’t stopped me applying for everything under the sun (whether I have the exact qualifications they’re looking for or not!), and when I’ve not been working at the pub I’ve been sitting in the garden enjoying the weather, trying to perfect my CV. Unfortunately it’s quite hard to make the experience I have got sound particularly relevant to a news department!

I’m thinking about trying to get some extra unpaid work, just to make the CV sound slightly better. Unfortunately I’ll only have a couple of months after my course finishes before repayments on the massive loan I took out to pay for the course are due to start, so I’ll need to be doing some kind of work in that time. I’m also looking into doing some freelance work for various different companies, as I think I could build up a good amount of experience that way (and still get paid, of course).

At least I know I can live rent-free at home for a while, although I’m secretly hoping I get offered work on the other side of the country so I can move out again. Although it’s great living at home, having all my meals cooked and washing done (if I hide it with the rest), it doesn’t take long before I start to need my own space - especially with three younger sisters to contend with!

Shine on

On the plus side, it’s hard to worry too much about finding a job, struggling with money and looking for somewhere to live when the weather’s like it is. Sitting inside working is not an option at the moment, whereas sitting outside on the grass with an ice-cream sounds like a much better idea!

Luckily my course is almost exam free, so I won’t have to spend the next few weeks panic-revising (I always leave it to the last minute). The only thing I have to worry about is one shorthand exam that’s coming up soon - we’ve been having two three-hour classes every week since the start of the year and although I’ve been going to every one I still seem to be struggling.

During the holidays I told myself I would practise every night, and try to get at least a little bit better at it. Unfortunately that idea went right out the window, and I haven’t done anything for nearly a month now. It’s time I sat down and did some practice. The good thing about trying to learn shorthand, as our lecturer is always telling us, is that you can do it while watching TV - trying to take down what’s being said as quickly as possible. This is a good idea in theory, but in practice it’s a lot harder than it sounds!

So while I feel there’s a lot to think about at the moment, from what exactly I’m going to do when the course finishes to how exactly I’m going to pass the shorthand part of the course, I’m not in the mood to think about any of it at the moment. I’ll save it all for a rainy day!

Read my previous job logs 

Suggestions to editorial@prospects.ac.uk