Do you know exactly what you want to do with your career over the next 20 years? If your answer is “no” then you are in the majority. More and more people are looking to choose or change career to better suit their lifestyle and the things that matter most to them. If you know a 9-5 office job won’t suit you, then don’t go looking for conventional office based roles!
We spoke to current student
Vivien Tang, who is just about to start her placement as part of our
Postgraduate Course. Vivien loves creating documentary films and knew nothing about event management before a friend suggested it as an option. So how did she end up on an event management course and conquering things she has wanted to get better at for years?
I have so many interests I don’t know what I want to do!
Like most people who aren’t sure what career they want to settle into, Vivien has a huge range of interests and lots of creative energy. She has studied culture studies and journalism, she has travelled many places and then there is her background in making documentaries.
Like at a live event, when you are filming a documentary, things only happen once and you have to create a good environment and then capture the interesting stuff to create something people will enjoy. Vivien is now blending her love of film making with her event management style by creating videos to promote live events and tell the story of how they are created. Event attendees love a behind the scenes look, so this is a great way to help them feel more involved in the event or extend that post event buzz.
How can I be happy in my work and in my career?
To be happy and successful in your career, you need to bring the things that really light you up into your work. With her creative mind and love of her busy lifestyle, it sounds like Vivien has it sorted:
“Working in the event industry I have to know a bit of everything, which stops me getting bored. Working as an event manager or planner is like working as a designer of beautiful things. I get to create something beautiful for other people to enjoy, just like when I am filming, and it makes me feel really good to do that.”
The other thing she told us was that her training with Event Academy helped her to get over a long standing shyness with public speaking. A few weeks in the students were asked to give presentations and she remembers worrying that it wasn’t the right career for her. Looking back she says,
“… the
Course Director [Justine] makes all the students her responsibility and wants to make everyone successful. She and the other staff really encouraged us, they could see the potential inside us and worked to bring it out so we can achieve what we want to.”
Vivien goes on to her three month work placement at
Jack Morton next month and we know she’ll be brilliant and make her mark there and with everything else she goes on to do. Good luck Vivien!
If you aren’t sure what to do to match up your lifestyle and your interests with your career, there are lots of options. Don’t take our word for it: do some research online, ask your friends for ideas and find out what is possible. Don’t limit yourself.
If, like Vivien, you want to find out more about event management, have a look at our
course pages here, download a brochure, or give us a call on 0207 183 5129.
Featured image by Chad Cooper, used through a
creative commons license
