Loaf recently discussed his job – and whether the job he is in now is his “dream” one. This has inspired me to have a short talk about my hopes and dreams for the future - strictly in the realm of working and jobs, however.

As many of you who read this know, I am a Computer Science student at the University of Hull. My decision to go to University in the first place and choice of Hull as the place to go were determined by several factors.

1. My old job. Up until going to University I held a position at an Advertising Agency. I was there Administration Assistant and as such my job entailed doing all the legwork in terms of filing, answering the telephone etc. It was clear after 3 months in the job that is was not my “dream” job and as such I would look for something better. Nothing better came up and after a time I realised that in order to chase my dream job (of which I have two – I either want to be a software developer or a sysadmin) it was necessary for me to do one of two things: go to University, or gain experience in the field. Clearly, the latter was not going to happen while I was in this job. Nor would the first, but at least I could get onto a course with little worry, unlike finding a job in the IT industry with no experience and no degree,
2. Friends. I have friends that have been living in Hull since before I arrived here and also one that came to Hull at around the same time. The fact that I have friends here was instrumental in my choice of the University of Hull as the institution I wanted to study at.
3. Ability to get on a course. I didn’t do amazingly at my A Levels – I got a C in Computing, primarily because of my coursework being rather useless. Also in there is an AS in Law and an A Level in General Studies, both at E. As such it was clear that I could not get onto a full degree course and as such I needed to find a course that would cater for somebody such as myself. I don’t want to blow my own trumpet too much, but I have a very academic brain and as such coursed such as those at Universities are perfect. Hull was one of the Universities that offered a course with a “Foundation Year”, which is essentially to get students up to speed with how University works and get their knowledge up to the levels of the students evtering University after completing A Levels.
4. Timescale. I didn’t have long between realising I wanted to go to University and actually going. I had approximately three months to research, apply for and start the course I wanted. Since I have friends in Hull, one of which works for a housing agency, I could find a place to stay within this tight timescale. The only major issue I faced was the move itself. This was arranged in a hurry by my parents, who arranged for one of their friends to take my things over to my room in Hull.
5. Cost. Clearly I could not afford to go to a University in a more expensive area. I have difficulties keeping to budgets in the short term and often overspend on food and luxuries. This came into play when choosing a University. Hull is one of the cheapest places to live in the UK and as such I would find it easier to budget. This has helped, despite the fact that I have needed help already to stay afloat.

So, where does all this lead? I was clearly not in my “dream” job, my life was not exactly plain sailing and I was at a low ebb. I took the decision to go to University as an impulse decision but once I had taken it there was no going back. Fine, there are high and low points, as there are in anything I do, but in the end I shall hopefully come out of this with a degree and my dream job. Three years to go.