I am still overwhelmed at the fact I finished four years of Uni, especially after a lot of ups and downs along the way. It was hard, but definitely worth every second and now I've been working in my first Graduate role for over a year and I'm loving it. Don't get me wrong it's be hard too but it's all gone so quickly. Today I'm sharing with you my experience of the Event Management industry, one year in!
1 | Working 9-5 is nothing like Uni life. When you're at University, even if you work your butt off, you still go out all the time and socialise with friends. When you graduate, that becomes a thing of the past. In my final year of Uni I treated it like I was working 9-5 so I was always doing some form of work/revision even if I wasn't in lectures or seminars however because I lived with my best friends I was constantly socialising and having a good time too. Now I work 9-5 and live in a completely different city to my friends so it's very different. It certainly is hard to adjust too but you do get used to it and you just have to plan your time more effectively.
2 | It's hard to meet new people. Of course you make friends at your place of work and I have made some incredible friends during my first year of working in the industry however if you're like me and you've just moved to a completely new city and don't know anyone then it is difficult to make friends and meet new people. I'm lucky that I've got my boyfriend and we go and explore the city every weekend but sometimes I feel like I'd love to have other friends to socialise with. I've just joined my local gym and am hoping to make some new friends there by doing classes once a week. I have also met some lovely bloggers through writing and following blogs and would love to meet up with some local bloggers in the next year. I need to get out of my comfort zone I think and push myself more.
3 | You need to learn to manage your money. It's no lie that whilst you're at University you learn a lot about money and making it last but when you go out into the industry this becomes even harder. Having an income means you need to be careful with what you spend your money on; there are bills to pay and it's important to make time to see your friends and family too, of course! A good tip I've learnt is to shop cheap - we've just had the opening of a new poundworld opposite our flat complex which has helped us save lots on our toiletries and household stuff etc and Aldi has just opened last week too which is going to be fab! Use vouchers where you can and just watch your spending in general.
4 | It's important to make time for your friends. I bloody love my Uni friends and I hate that I live so far away from them so it's extremely important to make time to see them. We've all got busy schedules and it's so hard to find a weekend that everyone is free on but when you do it's always so much fun. My friends and I make an extra effort to see each other on all of our birthday weekends and I always look forward to them weekends so much. I hate that they all live so far away and near to each other but it just means that the memories we make when we see one another are even more special. I also love to see my friends from home when I can too, I love a good old catch up and a few cocktails - there is nothing better.
5 | Networking is very important. In any industry networking is important but in the events industry it is key. I use LinkedIn to network and always connect with industry professionals I meet. It's so important to make connections because you never know who you might come across again in your career further down the line. I also love connecting with bloggers too because the ultimate dream for me is to work in blogging events in the future. Any PR companies in the North/Yorkshire need a event manager - hit me up. I'm your gal!
6 | Don't have expectations. It's so hard not to have expectations when you leave University. We're all guilty of it, believing that as soon as you leave Uni your going to get a job straight away and earn lots of money etc but that almost always doesn't happen straight away!
7 | London is amazing but it's not for everyone. Most of my friends left University and moved down to London, to the big smoke for a life down south and I was always so indecisive about it. There are so many amazing career opportunities in London, especially in the world of events but it isn't the only city with opportunities. I came to the conclusion that I would much rather live in a city up north and save money at this point in my life and maybe one day I'll do the whole London thing. I feel like I've got to experience it at some point but when I've got some money perhaps!
8 | Never compare yourself to others. When I first started University, all I did was compare myself to others and now I'm a graduate I am still sometimes guilty of it. Even though I was lucky enough to finish University and land a graduate job straight away I was somewhat envious of my friends and other people in my industry working down in London on some pretty incredible events. It's hard not to compare yourself to others but I am now finally starting to realise that we will all be at different points in our careers and some day it'll be me that's smashing the industry! (Well I hope so anyway!) Believe in yourself and just be you, that my motto.
Hows life been for you after University? What have you learnt?
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1 | Working 9-5 is nothing like Uni life. When you're at University, even if you work your butt off, you still go out all the time and socialise with friends. When you graduate, that becomes a thing of the past. In my final year of Uni I treated it like I was working 9-5 so I was always doing some form of work/revision even if I wasn't in lectures or seminars however because I lived with my best friends I was constantly socialising and having a good time too. Now I work 9-5 and live in a completely different city to my friends so it's very different. It certainly is hard to adjust too but you do get used to it and you just have to plan your time more effectively.
2 | It's hard to meet new people. Of course you make friends at your place of work and I have made some incredible friends during my first year of working in the industry however if you're like me and you've just moved to a completely new city and don't know anyone then it is difficult to make friends and meet new people. I'm lucky that I've got my boyfriend and we go and explore the city every weekend but sometimes I feel like I'd love to have other friends to socialise with. I've just joined my local gym and am hoping to make some new friends there by doing classes once a week. I have also met some lovely bloggers through writing and following blogs and would love to meet up with some local bloggers in the next year. I need to get out of my comfort zone I think and push myself more.
3 | You need to learn to manage your money. It's no lie that whilst you're at University you learn a lot about money and making it last but when you go out into the industry this becomes even harder. Having an income means you need to be careful with what you spend your money on; there are bills to pay and it's important to make time to see your friends and family too, of course! A good tip I've learnt is to shop cheap - we've just had the opening of a new poundworld opposite our flat complex which has helped us save lots on our toiletries and household stuff etc and Aldi has just opened last week too which is going to be fab! Use vouchers where you can and just watch your spending in general.
4 | It's important to make time for your friends. I bloody love my Uni friends and I hate that I live so far away from them so it's extremely important to make time to see them. We've all got busy schedules and it's so hard to find a weekend that everyone is free on but when you do it's always so much fun. My friends and I make an extra effort to see each other on all of our birthday weekends and I always look forward to them weekends so much. I hate that they all live so far away and near to each other but it just means that the memories we make when we see one another are even more special. I also love to see my friends from home when I can too, I love a good old catch up and a few cocktails - there is nothing better.
5 | Networking is very important. In any industry networking is important but in the events industry it is key. I use LinkedIn to network and always connect with industry professionals I meet. It's so important to make connections because you never know who you might come across again in your career further down the line. I also love connecting with bloggers too because the ultimate dream for me is to work in blogging events in the future. Any PR companies in the North/Yorkshire need a event manager - hit me up. I'm your gal!
6 | Don't have expectations. It's so hard not to have expectations when you leave University. We're all guilty of it, believing that as soon as you leave Uni your going to get a job straight away and earn lots of money etc but that almost always doesn't happen straight away!
7 | London is amazing but it's not for everyone. Most of my friends left University and moved down to London, to the big smoke for a life down south and I was always so indecisive about it. There are so many amazing career opportunities in London, especially in the world of events but it isn't the only city with opportunities. I came to the conclusion that I would much rather live in a city up north and save money at this point in my life and maybe one day I'll do the whole London thing. I feel like I've got to experience it at some point but when I've got some money perhaps!
8 | Never compare yourself to others. When I first started University, all I did was compare myself to others and now I'm a graduate I am still sometimes guilty of it. Even though I was lucky enough to finish University and land a graduate job straight away I was somewhat envious of my friends and other people in my industry working down in London on some pretty incredible events. It's hard not to compare yourself to others but I am now finally starting to realise that we will all be at different points in our careers and some day it'll be me that's smashing the industry! (Well I hope so anyway!) Believe in yourself and just be you, that my motto.
Hows life been for you after University? What have you learnt?
TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | BLOGLOVIN
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