06/08/2025
At High School I had notions of studying architecture. Two work experience placements later confirmed the reality versus the fantasy.
Motivated by the threat of the climate and nature crisis I decided to turn my activism into a job and study environmental science. I picked a few courses in this field, and found I still had one blank space on my UCAS (university application) form. The fee was the same whether you filled it or not, so I flipped to the index of the nearest university prospectus lying on my desk, and after 'E' for Environmental Science came 'F' for Film and Media Studies, so I wrote it down on the application form without a further thought, it was an impulsive joke, but I was getting my money's worth!
I went along to the Environmental Science open day at Stirling University. I wasn't sure what to make of the scientist talking enthusiastically about remote sensing, but I liked the campus. From the bus journey past the Wallace Monument, to the novelty of a campus with its own loch at the centre of it, lovely hills as a backdrop, lots of greenery, ducks, and a swimming pool, theatre and cinema on site - I was sold.
I was just about to leave the campus, standing at the bus stop opposite the Pathfoot building, when I realised that it housed the Film and Media Studies department, and yes I'd also been accepted on that joke subject that I had no intention of studying! Well what would be the harm of taking a look I thought. I'm here now, and the train service is pretty regular. Curiosity (as it usually does) got the better of me. Entering 'B corridor' I was immediately struck by the friendliness of the staff team, it's true what they say people make places, and here the energy and the chat was good! I found myself getting excited about a field of study I had never even considered, which wasn't even on my radar. At home we barely watched any television, and my media consumption consisted of magazines and comics from John Menzies and books from the library. Well suffice to say I ended-up enjoying four wonderful years doing a course I never set-out to study!
I discovered that being a student is so much more than course work! I became the Features Editor of a student newspaper, presented the environmental news on Radio Airthrey, helped publish a magazine that we photocopied and stapled together ourselves, joined the LGBT+ group, got involved in the Green Action Group, took-up horse riding and yoga, went to see everything going at the MacRobert Arts Centre, danced a lot, swam a lot, made friends from around the world, got introduced to Japanese metal at the Tolbooth Theatre, and ended-up choreographing a piece of dance for camera instead of writing a dissertation in my final year.
After I graduated I responded to a small ad in the Guardian and ended-up working for a production company in Leeds. Jobs in film and media, women’s rights, community engagement, party politics, comms and volunteer management followed.
Then in 2011 I began some of the most fulfilling work I do, training as a Humanist Celebrant with the national charity Humanist Society Scotland and helping people celebrate important milestones in their lives with meaningful ceremonies. Something I never imagined doing as a child, or even as a young adult. And all precipitated by the death of one of my dearest friends in 2008. Organising her funeral introduced me to humanism, and I started by volunteering for the Edinburgh Humanists Local Group.
I guess what my experience has taught me is that it's good to start with a plan, but it's also good to stay curious, be flexible, be open to new opportunities, and that volunteering can be an excellent stepping stone into new areas of work and building experience and connections. It’s also OK to change direction.
I am not doing what I started out doing, but each role I've had has introduced me to new people, new experiences and new learning, and those exam results bear no relation to my capabilities today.
"There is no wrong path, there is only your path".
This was a great excuse to dust down my old box of photos and laugh at some of these! Pictured: Student ID cards and membership cards. Passport photos are about all the evidence we have from those times! (The late nineties)
