An Idea Is Born...

Do you ever have an idea where it just pops into your head and you think, YES! Well, I've recently had one that I'm super-excited about...

I don't want to tell you too much, just in case it doesn't come off (it would be a MASSIVE project for me and my partener - if I get the partener I want - perhaps a little too ambitious, but you know a little ambition never killed anyone!) However, I will tell you that it revolves around my plans for what to do next year.

'What are you planning on doing after uni?' Is the question that all final-year degree students greet with clammy palms, a palid expression and a raised heartbeat. Throw in a dry mouth and raging pulse and you've got a perfectly normal response to the 'future-related' question. With graduate employment at an all time low and masters courses raising in prices, most final-years mumble something about taking a gap year and living with their parents before rapidly changing the subject.

You know what I'm like, optimistic, ever-positive and most importantly full of drive, passion and ambition. So I've kind of ignored all of the reasons that most final-years are running home to a part-time job and mummy's cooking, because no-one ever got anywhere by undershooting, right?

And still, my ideas are all over the place. This is the first time I've revealed any or all of them in a public forum but I figured that since I have so many ideas, I may as well go ahead and vocalise them, so here goes;

1) I might campaign to be Guild President at my student's union in May of next year. The role runs from around June/July time and lasts for a year. It is a paid position, but not an awful lot, but it will give me another year to live the life of a student whilst earning some good money doing something I care about... Good shout!

2) I could find a casual-hours job and while away all of my days off writing this blog and organising work experience placements on magazines.

3) Applying for a Magazine or Beauty Journalism course at either London City University or London College of Fashion is my third option. However, this would cost me at least £9000 for a year-long course. Plus, both courses are ridiculously competetive to get onto and require me to study for a whole other year!!! Scary prospect...

4) I could go travelling across the world having organised magazine work experience placements in many different countries. Only problem with this is that I probably wouldn't make any money whilst travelling which means that financially I will be worse off by the end of it. Having said that, I might stand a better chance of getting a good job if I get an impressive amount of placements. Catch 22 or what?

5) I could apply for paid internships or graduate schemes with Beauty PR, Magazines or any company with a blog (eg. Topshop, benefit etc). However, this sort of internship or grad scheme come few and far between, although I have already identified one with Conde Nast and another with Glossybox.

Now, if you think those ideas are ambitious then you've got another thing coming, because this new secret idea is about ten times bigger than any of them, but it is rapidly becoming my favorite! There are only four people (apart from my mom, sister and dad) who know about this secret, and I'm absolutely 100% not telling anyone else anything about it. Apart from you guys, who will get little hints here and there. Here are the first few;

IF this pulls off then I should be able to divulge every detail by July AT THE LATEST.
IF I and my partner decide to go for it, it will include a relatively big investment for someone of my age, in time and money.
IF I go for it, then it's likely I will be based in Birmingham.
IF it is successful then I should have the opportunity to do a similar thing elsewhere in the country, but I would need at least a year of success before a decision like that is made.
IF I get to do it like I want to do it, then it will be massively involved in the two areas that I am most passionate about - Fashion and Beauty.

And that's all you're getting! It would be a big project to take on, and even if I don't go for it this time round I definitely have plans of doing so at some point in my life.

So there you go. This is definitely going to be my Best Kept Secret in ages, so don't try and squeeze it out of me, haha :)

Anyways, let me know if you've ever had an idea you were nervous about other people knowing. I'm sure I'm not the only one!

Love as always and stay tuned for more hints!
gabriellasofia