Under pressure? Give yourself a break!
For many university students, there are times when studying for a degree seems remote and disconnected from the world of work that lies ahead. Yes, getting a degree is about so much more than securing a job: it’s an experience in itself, and students learn so much more than just the subject they’ve chosen to study.
But, in the end, most of us need to work, and a degree is arguably a huge advantage when it comes to securing employment in the media industry you’ve set your heart on. So, we tracked down Class of 2020 alumnus Honor Menzies and asked how life post-Solent was working out for her.
She told us that initially, she was worried she wouldn’t be able to get a job: especially given the pandemic situation we were all in at the time. But by October, she was freelancing as a video editor for various clients, including Sheerlux in Wandsworth and Otolo in Merton.
Since she swapped freelancing with a permanent full-time post. We then asked her about, what she’s up to now, and how that happened?
“Getting this job was such a fluke!” she said. “It was just on LinkedIn back in June, and I’d never had a successful job come out of there before. So, while I thought that although there’d be loads of applicants, I applied, got an interview and didn’t really think anything more of it. And then I got the Email saying, we’d love to have you!”
We asked Honor what skills she finds essential in the workplace.
“Definitely Adobe: Not having Adobe skills would be overwhelming: it’d be so tough. Since leaving university, I’ve primarily used Premiere Pro, but I know that I could use Audition if I needed to. And I’ve taught myself to use Illustrator.”
“The other thing is the pitching. You and the other lecturers always pushed us to do pitches, and I know some people had anxiety about them. However, I’m really grateful to have done them now because I’m constantly talking with clients.”
She also told us that working with clients, and interacting with them, is very important — being able to confidently make voice calls is a massive plus for her in those situations. She added: “Email takes ages, and you can be waiting for a reply for hours. If you phone people, you get what you need in minutes. I prefer the phone over texts or emails, as it’s just quicker and easier. So, get over your voice-call fears!”
In October, Honor returned to Solent for her pandemic-delayed graduation, so having been back in Southampton for the first time in a long while, we asked her what she misses most about university?
“I’d have to say the variety: you do different things every day, and you learn so much, in-depth, so quickly, and when you’re done, you move on to the next thing, which keeps you interested. The whole course just flew by, and I can’t believe I learned so much so fast.”
Since we were reflecting, we asked what advice she’d give first year Honor if she could.
“Oh, definitely not to put pressure on yourself about getting a job. There’s so many out there. It all slides into place, and you will find something. You have to make it happen, but it will happen.” She added: “The other thing I’d say is, know your worth. We’re skilled people, and everybody wants us.”
Honor feels it’s vital she’s happy in her work and advises that find something else if you’re not happy. She said: “There are so many jobs out there. I know they’re hard to find and hard to get, but there are so many things, especially in media and advertising. Everybody wants you nowadays, and everybody wants to be online, and they need us for that.
So, our final question had to be: is she happy with her work?
“Oh, yes,” she said. “Where I am now is great, and the people I work with are great. It’s like a family. They’re all about praise, and we just get on so well.”
Written by Paul Stevens (Lecturer in Media Production)
Edited and Published by Krisana Polyotha
BA(Hons) Media Production
Solent Media
