I’m also a sucker for a good quote. (Yes, I am one of those tiresome millennials who share far too many life-affirming quotes).

They hit the nail on the head.

Or ‘slap’ if you’re 25 and under.

When I was first asked to write a blog on ‘how I got into the industry’, I thought: who will care about my career path? The mistakes, the moments of glory, the twisted paths… what advice can I give? Then it struck me. A-ha! I will use a good analogy that sums it up. YES. My time to shine.

The one which best summarises how I got into marketing, is one I also picked up somewhere along the way:

Pull the wires which are already loose.

When you look at life – especially if we condense that down to looking purely at our careers – it can be quite overwhelming. It’s like looking at a heap of wires. In my head, I imagine these as Christmas lights. It’s too much. You panic, throw the Christmas lights on the floor, and cancel Christmas altogether.

But, if you pull at the wires which are already loose, you will at least make a start.

When I was younger, I didn’t really know what I wanted 'to be'. I came from a very working-class background, and I didn’t spend much time growing up thinking overly about a career. In all honesty, the word ‘career’ seemed quite out of reach for me.

BUT I did know I wanted to move away and gain some independence. I also knew I enjoyed reading, writing, and did quite well in media. I joined up the dots and for me, that meant moving to Leeds to study Journalism at University. Rather than seeing it as a very overwhelming question – a ‘what do I want to do forever’ – I thought more about ‘what works right now’. Which wires can I pull?

I continue to use that method now when it comes to thinking about where I want to be in the next five years. What is working right now? What do I enjoy? What makes sense? And off I go.

The marketing industry is evolving quickly. It pays to adapt. It pays to adjust to your surroundings, and to the opportunities available to you. Especially for juniors coming fresh into the Wild, Wild West. Think about what skills you have, and what you enjoy! What fresh perspective can you own?

The rest will come, and before you know it, you will have all your wires untangled.