If you want something doing, do it yourself
Next week is going to be a busy week on a personal level, as outlined on my blog site, View to A Quill. When that happens, I tend to be very nostalgic.
Throughout this past week, I have been going through my collection of pics that were taken during my various journalistic assignments.
In some cases, it brought back some wonderful memories; others I would say were of the challenging kind.
I never aspired to be a journalist, mainly because English was one of my worst subjects. Talk about irony.
When I was at school, my ambitions were of a culinary nature, as I fancied myself as Scotland’s version of the “Galloping Gourmet.” (People of a certain age might have to look that one up).
But moving on twenty odd years, I was feeling the pains of unemployment, doing my fortnightly power walk to the Job Centre for my fortnightly exchange of my autograph for some money.
I hated being on the dole. Getting off it was anything but easy; it was certainly for the want of trying. Just getting an interview was always a cause of celebration.
I would often get rejections for various reasons: overqualified (7 O levels, 3 Highers, and an HNC).
There was also the being “too old” bit, which, as someone who was in my late twenties, which was also difficult to take.
I regarded myself as someone who was not thick, never afraid to broaden my knowledge, looking for a position of responsibility that made the use of my abilities, which I liked to think I had gained over the years.
Then, during one of my fortnightly sign on days, I was twenty minutes away from my date with the dole office where I was on one of my long walks; I was starting to worry if there was going to be light at the end of the tunnel when came to steady employment.
I did not know what I wanted to do, and the careers officers (and I use that title loosely) did not know either. I had knowledge on a wide range of subjects and various skills that had been lying dormant.
I just did not know the best way to put them to good use. Then I got a sudden moment of inspiration; something like our buses does not come around very often. But when it does, make the most of it.
I knew two subjects: Sports (I was an active armchair pundit in my day) and Showbusiness. As a former Butlins Redcoat, it had to be. This was going to be the “Eureka” moment I was looking for. And with an air excitement, I power walked to the Job Centre to share details of my inspired career.
And their level of encouragement was exactly what I expected. They told me I could not do it as I had never written for any papers, which was true at the time. I was still determined to make use of this good idea.
I got some brief and valuable work experience with my local paper, going on various assignments. And even though this had been a worthwhile adventure, they then tried to bring me down to earth by saying I was too old (again) and that to be a journalist I had to have at least an HNC in Journalism.
That argument did not just go under the bus, but it practically drove there itself once a quick check around the office revealed that no one actually held the qualification in question.
I can take a hint.
So, if you want a job worth doing, do it yourself. If you want something badly enough, there is always a way in. And I found it in the shape of community action media.
As a volunteer, I learned the basics of putting radio campaigns, which led to voluntary work writing for a free newspaper in Edinburgh where I learned the mechanics of putting articles together, making sure the full stops were in the right places.
I was asked to do the back sports page, where I covered everything from football to cricket (which I hate) Athletics and even American Football, even though I knew absolutely nothing about the sport.
But it was my that article on that last sport that opened the door for me to become a journalist covering the game at so many levels amateur and professional.
This then led me to my first paid job, covering the launch of professional American Football in Scotland with the then NFL Europe for a Scottish Based Magazine.
Not only did it give me my first double page feature, but with colour pics as well. When I got paid, I almost wanted to frame the cheque, but even more so, take a copy of the article and shove it in the job centre’s face.
But I went for a more sensible option. I kept on writing as I still had a lot to learn.
As a self-taught freelance print journalist, I am proud to say that in a career lasting around 15 years I have had work published on a whole range of subjects for most of the major UK publications.
Now at 63, the drive is still there, never afraid to try something new. And with me currently working on my sixth book, I can go back to my initial brainwave during that long walk all those years ago and acknowledge that it was the best personal investment I have ever made.
People may have their opinions, but if you believe in yourself and you are determined to put the work in. If the goals are realistic, then anything is possible.
There is nothing like creating something from scratch. Especially when you have an end product to show for it at the end.
It is the best feeling in the world.
