Westminster Working Cultures.
A University-wide initiative designed to enhance the employability of University of Westminster undergraduate students, through utilising the support of our global network of alumni and partners.
Having been a voluntary Fashion Mentor for almost 5 years at the University of Westminster, I couldn’t say no to the opportunity to speak to 60 students, as part of the Westminster Working Cultures initiative. It was a scary thought, but knowing it could potentially help students enter the working world with more confidence, gave me no reason to decline.
I was given an hour-slot; half an hour to talk through my career and lessons learned, and another half an hour to answer questions. I prepared the day before by noting down key things I had learned over the course of my 14-year career, which definitely brought up a lot of forgotten memories!
I wanted to start off by giving my story context. I always knew I wanted to be a fashion designer but it wasn’t until I was 12, when my parents had a very messy separation which resulted in the family home getting repossessed that cemented the purpose and importance to be financially independent, and I was going to utilise my passion to achieve this.
It was such a blast from the past as I briefly made my way through my Fashion design degree, internships, where my first job was, issues that I had to tackle, promotions, leaving and starting new roles… there was so much I wanted to say but was also conscious of time!
The students were also given 30 mins to ask questions and I tried to answer them as precisely as possible but some of them still stayed on my mind, even days after! So, I decided to elaborate a little more on them over here, on my blog.
What do you regret not doing at University?
Networking for sure, or some form of it. My course leader Andrew Groves, always stressed the importance of this but at the time, I always associated ‘networking’ with having fake relationships with people and only for the reason to benefit one another. This was not appealing to me in the slightest nor did it match my personality. However, as I have now later learned, that ‘networking’ can be interpreted in a way that suits the individual. My version of it would have simply been to have made more effort keeping in touch with people, especially my classmates as after graduating, you go through so many changes, have so many questions, and the best people to share this with would have been with them.
Along the same lines, I also regret not joining other communities or even the Student Union, both things I feel could have made me much more confident and prepared, prior to entering the working world especially if there were similar opportunities like Westminster Working Cultures.
And although this isn’t an obvious ‘regret’, just some final words I guess, but while you’re at University, be as creative as possible, as it’s your only opportunity to before profit (mainly) becomes the sole focus when working for other businesses and trying new ideas can be deemed as high risk.
How do you maintain a healthy relationship with colleagues and manager?
It’s an old saying but simply, treat those the way you want to be treated. I have always gone by this outlook both professionally and personally, and I can’t say it made all of my professional relationships ‘healthy’ because there are tons of other factors to also consider, but it definitely helped.
What I do wish I had known though, is that it’s OK to say ‘no’. Although seen as a negative, it actually just makes you a much more respected member of the team. If I knew this earlier, there are many instances where I feel could have been easier. By saying ‘no’, expectations aren’t so high, which means you’re not putting yourself under so much pressure.
What is the most challenging/enjoyable thing about your job?
Tackling things like ‘imposter syndrome’ can be challenging but also not knowing what my exact earnings each month can be a little stressful, but it is something I was fully aware of when I decided to be self-employed, and the positives definitely outweigh the negatives.
You need to be self-motivating and be able to plan and organise yourself thoroughly if you choose to work for yourself, which does make it specific for a certain type of person.
One of the most enjoyable things about working for myself is the constant learning. I no longer have a ‘team’ or ‘departments’. I am basically the ‘I.T guy’, the ‘book-keeper’, the ‘cleaner’, and everything else! From this, my digital skills have vastly improved, my knowledge in marketing, social media, accounting and finding new and different methods to do things, which if I was still ‘employed’, would not have found the time to explore.
Being able to work when I want to and have time off when I want to is also a huge benefit, but still goes hand in hand with being able to self-motivate! The pandemic has definitely highlighted this particular benefit of working for yourself and even working-from-home, where people were spending 1-3 hours commuting to work, and are now having that extra hour of rest and not being stressed from the commute. After commuting into London for 13 years, I can’t say I miss it at all!!
I also have time for my other passions and projects such as starting my own fashion brand, keeping fit and healthy, not living off a vending machine (chocolate and coke was literally my dinner for about 4 years!), sleeping well and generally having a healthy balance of work and non-work. This Confucius quote is exactly why I chose to ‘work’ for myself.
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” - Confucius
What advice would you give to an introvert working in an extrovert environment?
Definitely find your ‘people’ and when you do, hold onto them tight!
During an ‘away-day’ at one of the places I worked at, everyone in the team took a Myers Briggs test and I was an INFJ, a type of introvert. Funnily enough, out of around 15 of us, only 2 of us were introverts! Having this highlighted definitely made me a lot more aware of why some things may not have gone the way I had hoped and why some opportunities felt unattainable…but being an introvert isn’t a disadvantage in the grand scheme of things.
Nevertheless, as I became more senior within my roles, there were several occasions where I had to tune into being more like an extrovert and later discovered that there is actually an in-between ‘type’ called an Ambivert!
There are some really good TED Talks on this subject which answers this question well.
How have you adapted to remote working and what is your advice to graduates on remote working?
As I’d already started freelancing a year before the pandemic hit, I had definitely already experienced the strange feeling of going from a team and working in a busy office environment, to suddenly being alone. No more morning banter, no coffee on the way to work or reading the Metro on my commute. My routine was all over the place at the beginning so I can really understand the shock of it all!
Having time away from the screen and doing other activities is also beneficial for productivity. I had taken up running which gave me the opportunity to get some fresh air, have a break and I also found it quite therapeutic.
But my main advice to graduates on remote working is to definitely plan your week and a term that I recently came across was to ‘Eat the Frog’! It is to basically do the one thing you have the least motivation for, and do it first thing!
“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” - Mark Twain
I have also had some messages passed onto me through the team at Westminster Working Cultures (WWC) after my presentation which was such a delight to read!