What Sophie Said

It’s been a quiet two weeks on this little corner of the internet, so it’s time for a life update! The City – London is treating me well. I’ve been here almost three weeks now and the transition has been so much easier than expected. I’ve quickly fallen into patterns of jumping on and off the tube, keeping busy, and making plans. I’m not sure I will ever quite understand the way some people act on the tube (SO rude), or get used to the fact the air just FEELS different here (I’m from somewhere far more countryside-ey), but it’s going well. The Job – The reason for moving down here. I’m not going to go into detail, but I’m working in digital marketing at a company I’ve admired for years, and the first two weeks have gone well. I’ve learned incredible amounts already, and I’m feeling very inspired by the amount of knowledge amongst the people surrounding me daily. Working in the heart of Oxford Street is busy, it’s fast-paced, and it’s exciting. The Room -  I think the r...

On 29 th May, I left my job. Without a new one to go to. There were lots of reasons why, which I won’t go into, but the main one was that the role taught me exactly what it was I wanted to be doing. And it wasn’t quite what I was doing there. I think part of growing up is learning to acknowledge when things aren’t working. Work will never be perfect, all of the time. All jobs have stressful periods. Most jobs have great periods. Throughout my childhood, and on into university and graduate life, I’ve taken huge comfort from stability, from always knowing what’s coming next. I moved through primary school, to secondary school, to sixth form, and straight to university. After university, I got a job, and I’ve been working full-time for the past two years. But when you leave university, or education at whatever stage you leave it, the world is a big place, and there are so many routes you can follow. And part of growing up is sometimes not sticking with so...

Hello, August. I feel like you’re going to be a great month this year. I’m moving to London. I’m starting my new job. That’s two pretty huge things. Exciting things. I’ll be making new plans, new memories, settling into new routines. Meeting new people, taking on new responsibilities, learning new things. Exploring new places, visiting new attractions, taking in new sights. Visiting old friends, meeting new ones. Finding my feet in the Big City. Swapping hourly trains for tubes travelling minutes apart. Swapping a quiet town for a bustling city. August, I’m excited.

‘You’re so brave’ 'Now's the time to do it!' ‘That’s so exciting’ ‘Do you know what you’re going to do?’ These four phrases have been repeated at me on a loop for the past few weeks.  I guess you could say I’ve made a couple of ‘BIG DECISIONS’. I’ve left my job, and I’m moving to London.  I don’t know where I’ll live yet. And I don’t have a job yet. Those things are TBC. They’re works in progress. Determining their answers is the purpose of the next couple of weeks. I’ve never really put myself in a position before where I don’t know precisely what is coming next. I take a lot of comfort from having plans, from having dates in the diary and concrete goals I know I can achieve. I didn’t take a gap year. I’ve not been travelling. I feel like I’ve always followed a very safe route, and done what I expected myself to do. But recently I’ve realised those goals were goals I created a few years ago, and actually those goals have changed.  M...

I’ve always been afraid of change. Maybe fear isn’t the right way to describe it, but I’ve been resistant to change. Reluctant to upset the balance of things. Nervous to veer away from what’s comfortable, what’s familiar, what’s secure. But things have been changing. They’ve been changing pretty rapidly and I think I’m learning to go along with it. In the space of a few months, I’ve started a new job and moved house – just a couple of tiny changes there! And I’ve been allowing myself to be a bit picky, and choose to spend time with and talk to the people who matter most. And do the things I really enjoy, not just the things expected of me, because they’re ‘what I’ve always done’. Will I ever be the most impulsive person in the world, or not be a stickler for planning, or throw all caution to the wind and be completely reckless? No. But what I will do is say ‘yes’. Yes to exploring. Yes to adventuring. Yes to wondering, and to wandering. ...

The first few days of a new year allow time to reflect on the year that has just gone by, and 2013 was certainly a busy one for me. It can be useful to look back at what you’ve achieved in that chunk of time, to put everything in perspective and be proud of yourself for what you’ve accomplished. A huge moment of 2013, for me, was graduating from the University of York. After three years of ups and downs, and a lot of hard work, I got the 2:1 I had been aiming for, and could celebrate with my friends the fact that we had done it: we had our degrees. A few months later, in September, I began my role as marketing executive at my dad’s market research company, where I am preparing to study for my Professional Certificate in Marketing. I feel so fortunate to be in a position where I am in the industry I want to be in, making valuable connections, and earning a real salary so soon after finishing university. With the end of university came the sad day that Andy and...