Michelle's job log: 10

The story so far... Michelle left university in 2007 and found a job assisting lecturers at Manchester University. But she really wants to go into fashion, maybe through merchandising.

No going back 

 

I’ve had such a good break from work, two weeks off to do whatever I want and I’ve loved it. The first week I stayed in Manchester and my friend from Birmingham came to stay and then the second week I went to Birmingham and stayed there. Going out, meeting up with all my friends, shopping, it was absolutely how I want my life to be, just pure, unlimited fun!

But now I’ve come crashing back down to the real world and although it’s not the worst it has made me realise that I want so much more and it’s time that I got it. I know I change my mind every month about what I want to do, but now I’m thinking I don’t really want to go back to uni to do a masters, because my reasons for doing it were not right. The only reason I wanted to go back to being a student was because I don’t really like my job and it would be a break from the working world. I think that’s why it was taking me so long to actually fill out the application form, because I didn’t really have a strong drive to go for it. So now I’m determined to find a job that I enjoy and that will give me some useful skills and a chance of progression. I’m still determined to go into merchandising and will apply for every trainee position available, but in the meantime I need to do something that will give me that bit more responsibility, because I am totally ready for a challenge.

Someone said to me recently that I have ‘only-child syndrome’, and to a certain extent I think it’s true. I’m so used to getting what I want which I think is why I really believe that I am going to get my dream career, I have to, it’s not even an option to fail now. If I don’t become a merchandiser, I want to have my own vintage shop; either of the two would make me happy. My eBay sales are going well and I’m still loving the buzz of selling so I think I definitely want to continue selling clothes, I just want to move away from eBay as the margins are not that high after paying sellers fees, postage and PayPal fees. Maybe I could get a market stall, but then I’m a person that’s always cold so I’d have to stick to doing it in the summer!

Which city?

Anyway I think I went off on a bit of a tangent there, I’m such a dreamer.  I’ve not seen many jobs that I would like in Manchester recently so I started looking in Birmingham and I’ve seen a lot more. I’ve applied for a few and if I get one, I’ll be upping sticks and leaving good old Manchester and heading back to the Midlands. Being back there over the holidays made me realise that I had actually missed it a bit so I wouldn’t mind if I did have to return. It’s very confusing, I had really been looking forward to moving in with my two friends somewhere in the city centre of Manchester, and now I’m finding myself looking for apartments in Birmingham too. I’m split between the two, Manchester is still like a minefield to me, I still get lost in the Arndale shopping centre! But with Birmingham I know where absolutely everything is and see all the same faces that I know from school days. I like both feelings, in Manchester I’m anonymous and constantly meeting new people, but in Birmingham I’m no-one new and there’s that familiarity - there’s pro’s and cons to both. I suppose I just have to see what happens.

Read my earlier job logs   

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