Jennifer: Twenty-Something in Radio

Yes, but it was a complete pipe dream. I thought I would get a 'real job' doing something that involved my degree. I did Geography at University so I thought about working in an environmental charity or something.

I love the creativity it involves, and I also really like dealing with people. I have been lucky enough to work with new presenters - it’s nice to see the journey from being in the studio for the first time, to getting on air and doing their first show, then developing their craft and transforming show by show. Also, the spontaneity of working in radio is a complete luxury - you can have an idea in the morning and by the afternoon it’s happening on air. Most of all though, I love the music!

History and Geography were my favourite subjects. I also liked English Literature and science. I never knew what I wanted to do, so when it came to choosing options for GCSEs and A-levels I just choose the subjects I enjoyed the most.

I did Geography at Uni and loved it! I really enjoyed the subject, going on field trips, working with my peers and thinking about the big wide world. There was a lot of group work involved so I got used to working with a team and doing presentations. Pretty different from radio though…

My first job in radio was working for a smaller production company. I went in one day, handed them my CV and asked to do work experience. I got a two week placement and must have done something right as they offered me a two month internship as a result. I was working on some of their Music TV projects for while, and that was all useful experience for me to then apply to the BBC’s Production Talent Pool which is a great way for people with a smaller amount of experience to get in and develop themselves.

Don’t worry about not knowing exactly what you want to do. Work hard and study the things you find interesting.

All experience is useful. There are skills I learnt working in a complaints call centre, a frozen yogurt shop and a night club that I use every day in my job. When you are still figuring things out you might just need to work to earn some money. That’s OK - you will almost always learn something useful, just make sure you have an exit strategy and are developing your passions on the side.

Willingness to work hard, flexibility and a sense of fun!

Radio Today is a good one to keep abreast of industry news. You can get a daily email newsletter which makes it easy – it’s important to have knowledge about the world you want to enter, and if you really want to work in radio you’ll be doing this anyway because you’re interested.

The Radio Academy and Sound Women are also good. I would also recommend following DJs, producers and any other interesting radio people on Twitter, as they will often post about jobs/internships/projects they are working on. Respond to their tweets with something intelligent and you never know – there’s no one way to get in the door so always have your eyes and ears open!