So... You Got a First?

Yes. I've been away for a long while. But, in that while, I have gained a First Class Honours Degree in English from University of Birmingham. Or, to elaborate, I am two weeks away from officially obtaining the paper for said First Class degree (and slightly terrified of walking up those stairs in heels!).

So... Now what?

I feel like the above three words are the most often used in relation to the situation I now find myself in.

I should be scared, right?

Well, every fast-paced millennial (and somewhat slow-paced older family/extended family member and acquaintance) would like me (and many others in this situation) to answer 'yes'. Yes, I should be slightly scared that I have my degree and, as yet, no source of income for the next few months. That I don't know immediately where I'm going from here, that I'm seemingly going to 'waste' my education on the wrong career.

But... I'm not.

And I want to remind anyone reading this in my situation that it is ok, contrary to popular belief, to not have a master plan. Aged 21, you do have the time and ability to take a step back, breathe and not get caught up in the degree --> graduate job --> immediate money cookie-cutter mould.

For me, these next few months are those of personal growth, re-evaluating my passions and motivations, travelling, and deciding on my next move.

After spending a good 18 years in education, and having the past three years of stressing over deadlines, balancing said education with some sort of social life, it's been easy to lose track of my overall aim. So, rather than rushing into an anonymous graduate scheme for immediate money, I want my job search to be more related to gaining experience, following up possible leads and recognising that I'd rather be in a job that I love than simply work for the sake of it for an as-yet unknown outcome.

So, let's take this leap together.

MY TEACHFIRST EXPERIENCE

I applied for TeachFirst out of intrigue more than anything. I still have a year until I finish university, so my application was quite far in advance and I wasn't expecting much, despite my interest in the company and its aims. Somewhat surprisingly, I made it through to the assessment center in London, and thought I'd share my thoughts my experience of the TeachFirst application. Although I wasn't successful this time around, I think the experience was really great, so here's a bit of an insight into my day.

20 Things I've Learnt In 20 Years

My teenage years are way too close to being over, and I thought I'd step on that bandwagon of looking over the past 20 years. To think about what I've learnt, and why it's been so important. Being a teenager brought with it so many changes, but I'm so so happy that, despite the bad, I've pulled through to become the person I hoped I'd be at 20. There's still a long way to go, but hey, that's the beauty of life. Stay tuned for a whole lot of nostalgia, photos and musings from a wandering Millennial.

1 Year Anniversary! Day 1 - Hotel du Vin!

Nathan and I celebrated our 1-year anniversary on 18th February, and spent a perfect night at Hotel du Vin, followed by an amazing breakfast at a quirky cafe!

                                           

Keep reading for a makeup look and a quick tour of the hotel / cocktail bar!

VALENTINES 2016

Hope everyone had an amazing Valentines weekend! 

                                                  

Mine was spent with this one ^^, we went for a lovely meal at Pizza Express since one recently opened in our town!

VALENTINES WISH-LIST 2016

Strangely enough(!) this will be my first Valentines in a relationship. Despite recognising the clearly money-centric nature of this 'holiday', there are a few good finds on the highstreet at the minute. Who says Valentines needs to be spent staring longingly into a half-finished tub of Ben & Jerry's watching that re-run of Bridget Jones? Here are a few ideas that are sure to make Valentines 2016 a good one no matter the circumstances, so get your pen and paper ready to note these options, whether with a SO or as an opener to the perfect anti-Valentines!

 

What happiness feels like | 2015 in review

       

Happy 2016!

While I'm still finding it pretty crazy how much happened last year, Instagram's new 'Bestnine' feature made me realise just how much I accomplished, just how many happy moments were shared and just how much of a whirlwind 2015 was.

 So I thought I'd share a few with you guys!