From TV Producer to Social Researcher - Why I chose to study again

I started working in TV production after dropping out of university at 19. It mostly involved making endless cups of tea for celebrities, but I eventually worked my way up to casting contributors for reality shows and conducting red carpet interviews. However, after a few years, I began wondering if there was a vocation better suited to my curiosity about people and the rapidly changing world around me. Choosing the BSc Community Development & Public Policy programme at Birkbeck felt like the perfect way to explore that curiosity.

One of the most meaningful parts of my time at Birkbeck was undertaking original social research on an issue I am passionate about. Realising that my work filled a gap in the literature, and helped marginalised people have their voices heard, was both empowering and affirming. Balancing this with a full-time job and volunteering for a huge experimental theatre project only strengthened my determination. Completing my studies and becoming a social researcher has helped me understand that my perspective and capabilities have value far beyond anything I imagined when I stepped away from TV.

It means the world to me that I could discover new things about myself and my potential without giving up my job or leaving my home, friends, and communities. This stability was especially important during a particularly severe period of anxiety a couple of years ago. Being surrounded by students from all walks of life was inspiring on an academic level and reassuring on a personal one. The ups and downs of the last four years were always met with warmth and understanding from classmates who knew what it was like to juggle busy and complicated lives.

Studying at Birkbeck has transformed how I see the world and my place within it in ways that continue to surprise me. I hope future students feel inspired to take the step to enrol and realise their full potential, because it is one of the best things I have ever done.