FAQ
1. How old are you?
I’m 22 years old, born in 1995.
2. Where do you currently reside?
I currently live in the North East of England.
3. What academic qualifications do you hold?
I currently have a First Class Honours Degree in English with Creative Writing and a distinction in MA Creative Writing.
4. What careers do you aspire to?
Like most other English graduates, I dream of being a professional author. I am undecided in my career path and torn between continuing with higher education to attain a PhD in Creative Writing, training to teach at a college level or leaving the North East completely to pursue other dreams of being a publisher, literary agent or advertiser (as those sorts of jobs are few and far between in my area.)
5. What genre do you write in?
Whilst being at university, I have produced two novels in their preliminary stages. I specialise in the genre of neo-Victorianism and tend to write explicitly, influenced by my favourite neo-Victorian authors such as Margaret Atwood and Sarah Waters. I enjoy exploring and uncovering female sexuality and lesbianism in Victorian literature which has been largely ignored and left out of history.
6. How do you cope with unemployment after university?
The simple answer is: not well!
I really struggle and experience symptoms of depression and anxiety even leading into agoraphobia after being constantly stuck indoors without anything much to do apart from dwell on my failures. It is very easy to stay in bed, isolate oneself and hide away from reality and much harder to put yourself out into the world with hardly any vocational experience or knowledge.However, like every other struggling graduate, we keep going!
I think the worst thing for me is the disappointment of spending so much time and money in education and not having the “high flying” career that was promised in the open days I attended in 2012. However, the world is not as it was and the difficulty of finding work has dramatically increased. Keeping what little positivity I can muster is crucial and knowing that one day, my degree will help me to achieve that more advanced level in my career.
Nothing will ruin your twenties more than trying to have your whole life sorted out!
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