Emily's degree and the careers support at Portsmouth helped her develop her goal of working in audio and visuals for events
Growing up, I had no idea what I wanted to be. I was a very dramatic person and loved learning about how things worked, which I felt were very different traits. I could never imagine a job that involved both.
When it came to choosing my A-Levels, I decided I should go for the academic subjects as they would get me a good job and a stable life. I soon realised that maths and chemistry were not for me and that I would be much better at a college doing a more hands-on course. From this I found Television and Broadcasting at the University of Portsmouth and knew it was for me. Never did I ever expect to find a course and a career where I could use my creativity alongside my problem solving skills, as this is what I love.
My time at university has been everything I wanted it to be. It’s been challenging, but I have learnt so much and made some great friends.
Since coming to university, I’ve changed so much; way more than I ever expected to. I’ve become more positive, more outgoing, learnt how to work in a group and of course gained so many transferable skills from my course. University has truly made me into a young woman, someone that I’m proud to be. Television and Broadcasting has not only taught me how to produce a live broadcast and edit a documentary, but also how to be a leader and manage my workload while still having a life outside of work. The staff have had such an impact on me as a person and they’ve mentioned the difference in my persona a few times.
My proudest moment at university would probably be when I completed my final year project in April, after I had spent around 300 hours working on a 4-minute animation – it was a great achievement.
Once I graduate, I’d like to go into audio and visuals for events: the use of cameras, screens and audio equipment for the likes of festivals, concerts and film premieres. Up until this year, I thought the only way to be successful and use my degree was to become a runner and work my way up to producer. While this route works for many, I didn’t like the uncertainty of being freelance. I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to find a job I enjoyed and would end up doing something unrelated to my degree. That was until I attended the Careers and Employability fair, where I met a company that specialises in AV hire. Suddenly my eyes were opened to the world of jobs that weren’t based in a television centre but still allowed me to use the creativity, technical and transferable skills I’ve learnt throughout my time at university.