27AugGrowing Ambitions

I’ve just renewed my membership of Growing Ambitions, a UK-wide careers information service that puts real people like me, doing real jobs, in front of school students to talk to them about life in the real world of work (to precis the website).

I’ve been a member for a year.  So far no-one’s asked me to speak, so when I got the email asking me to renew my declaration that I had no criminal involvement, past or present, I thought I wouldjust  let it lapse.  I emailed the founder and MD of Growing Ambitions, Sally Davis, who replied:  “We are looking to merge with another organisation in the autumn that has the ear of more employers, and the government and momentum will really start to pick up then. We are a non-profit, providing a lean and mean brokerage solution but we have no government or other funding.” 

She added, ”I do hope you can see you way to still point people to us”.  How could I refuse? 

I think it’s a great idea, telling kids how it really is, and by what tortuous route you’ve got where you are.  A lot of people have never heard of copywriting; I’m sure there are students who’d love to write for a living but think the only ways are the cut-throat world of journalism or the lottery of “writing proper books” of whatever sort and trying to get them published.  Certainly my careers mistress never mentioned it (but that could have been because I wanted to go to music college; it didn’t occur to me I could earn a living as a writer until much later).

If you’re interested in finding out more about Growing Ambitions and how you could become a Partner (it doesn’t cost anything, talks only last half an hour, and it’s good exposure for your business too), go to http://www.growingambitions.org/index.php and read all about it.

Thank you!