Why working my gap year worked for me

By Emma Blackburn
May 2015

My choice to take a gap year was a last minute, slightly unavoidable option due to a lack of accommodation at my chosen university. That said, it is one that I definitely do not regret.

To begin with, I had a few options for my year out: travelling, working a ski season or working in the UK. Travelling quickly became impractical; a lack of funds after two months abroad put an end to that! Working a ski season was an option for a few weeks, until I swiftly realised leaving my parents (and horse) for that long was not something I particularly wanted to do.

I found out about an opening at Minerva through Rhonda who, luckily, lives in the same village as me. After an informal chat we both decided to give it a trial run and I’ve been at Minerva ever since. It just goes to show, it’s not only what you know, it’s who you know!

Working in communications has been a career option for me since I was 15 and completed a week of work experience at a PR firm in London. At Minerva, my role as a junior account executive has allowed me to fulfil this and learn more about the industry whilst on the job. Saving money for university, gaining experience and building up contacts are just three advantages of working for Minerva through my gap year. I have also had the chance to work with amazing, lovely people who make my job fun and enjoyable.

My social media ‘expertise’ (garnered from too many evenings on Facebook and Twitter!) has brought ‘added value’ to the team here and I have developed our clients’ & projects’ social media profiles considerably.  My filming and video-editing skills have also come in handy (you can watch an example here!)

For university and beyond – I have learnt to manage and prioritise my workload, meet deadlines, liaise with clients and have gained a valuable insight into the way a business is run. All of these new skills will help me during university and when applying for jobs in the future

Working throughout your gap year is not for everyone, parts of it are difficult – when all your friends come back from university and just want to party, but you have work the next day, for example.  But, for anyone who wants to save some money, as well as create or explore career options, then I would personally recommend working through your year out – particularly to help with meeting the increasing costs of student life, and especially if you don’t want to live off beans and pasta!

The Minerva team (l-r): Alessia Usai, Kate Viggers, Rhonda Smith (Director), Edward Barnes, Emma Blackburn, Sarah Taylor

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