After getting pooled to Murray Edwards, an ‘all-girls’ college, I wasn’t sure what I was letting myself in for after being at a large, mixed, comprehensive school. Over the following three years I found a place where intelligence was in abundance and encouraged, but so was creativity, individuality and the exploration of different ideas. Murray Edwards, to me, didn’t provide a set of moulds young women were supposed to fill by the time they left, but an opportunity to explore new ideas of what a successful, happy woman is.
I personally hate not having a plan and took a job in pharmaceutical consulting, not my ideal job but it paid well and gave me the opportunity to live in London. I had a great time living in the city but I started working extremely long hours and was not passionate about the work I was doing – I felt like I was letting my younger self down. It took me over two years to build up the courage to make a change and within a month I had quit my job, left my flat and friends behind and was on a plane to South Africa to work with meerkats for a year – something I had heard about at University and wanted to pursue ever since. Having a year removed from all the pressures and expectations of other people, but also those that I put on myself, did me the world of good and gave me some space to work out what I actually want to do with my life. …continue reading…