When I grow up I want to be...

Today I started a week's work experience at a local PR firm. Today I was also mistaken for a school leaver by one of the firm's employees. Under normal circumstances this would baffle (and amuse) me however, on this occasion, I must admit the guy had a fair point. What is a 23 year old doing using up her annual leave on something that even 16 year olds try to avoid as soon as they realise they can find work that actually pays?

For so many industries these days (namely PR and journalism) it's a given that you must be prepared to do work experience/intern/make countless cups of tea just to get a foot in the door, and even then you're not looking at making your fortune (how journalists for the glossies have such fabulous wardrobes is beyond me). Work experience seems to be a rite of passage for anyone who covets Jo Elvin's job and spends too much time dreaming of the day they could call Glamour magazine 'work'. Apart from the minor dilemma of whether or not I can afford to work for free for extended periods of time, I have no problem with this. If I want a job that badly then I'll do whatever it takes to get it (within reason...). My issue is, I'm still not sure what that dream job is. Sure I think it lies somewhere in the world of magazines/PR/writing, but that's a pretty big area to tackle and I'm fairly certain my lack of direction won't be doing me any favours when I'm competing against thousands of others who are ten times more focussed than I am. And so that is why, at the age of 23, I've found myself taking yet more annual leave in order to try a job which is completely unrelated to the one I am currently paid to do.

Whilst I may be years older than the school girl I was mistaken for today, I still feel just as confused when it comes to my career prospects. Don't get me wrong, I love where I am right now, I just find it difficult to visualise where exactly I want to be in a couple of years time. I am therefore turning to work experience in the hope that it will offer me a little insight as well as telling me how I can become half writer/half PR guru for a national glossy whilst advising students on the side. I'm joking (ish).

People say you can change career at any age and magazines are full of tales of how people nabbed their dream jobs in an unconventional manner. Inspirational as this may be, I can't help but look around and see that the people who are doing these amazingly cool jobs (which feel light years away from where I am right now) are actually quite close to my age. Apparently this is when I should be on the appropriate career path and quietly working my way to the top. When did everyone suddenly get so serious? What happened to having our twenties to figure out who we are, see the world, make mistakes, rock up to work hung over etc (or did everyone else do that during their gap yah)? I guess I shouldn't complain when there are so many graduates struggling to find paid employment, let alone a job they actually like. I'm lucky enough to have both, yet I still compare myself to the twenty year olds that seem to have an awful lot more figured out than me.

Anyway, career dilemmas aside, I'm off to watch Harry Potter. There's nothing like watching the work of Voldemort and co to put things into perspective! Harry didn't have time to ponder his life plan when he was busy trying to save the wizarding world (you know you've hit a new low when the one thing you're grateful for is the lack of dark magic in your life).