I Have Hope.

Wednesday. Ahhh, Wednesday. A day when I can drink copious amounts of tea and coffee, watch back to back episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race and not have a care in the world about my make-up free face. 

Boy, do I love Wednesdays. 

That is until I heard the words "Guys! We have a guest lecturer coming!". 

Now, don't get me wrong. I fully appreciate that very busy people are giving up their time to talk to us and they always turn out to be worthwhile and inspiring, but..... my lie in! My pyjamas!

So there I was, mustering up enthusiasm for a two hour guest lecture on my day off. Three guys are waiting to talk to us and I'm nursing my precious £2.30 Costa coffee.

Go on then, I think. Impress.  

And they really do. 

Over the next two hours, the three of them managed to give me hope that one day, I can be successful. They reaffirmed to public relations is an industry that is ever changing and needs people who can keep up. There is no one 'type' that they need - it really does take all sorts and if you have the determination and the drive, you can do it. 

I can do it. 

Tom Cheesewright, Richard Fogg and Samuel Hall were incredibly engaging and inspiring talkers. As three men, two of which are graduates of the BU PR course, who have achieved so much, we were all extremely privileged to hear their thoughts on the industry and receive some stellar advice. 

The main thing that I took away from all three speakers is that networking is crucial. There is no getting away from the fact that the phrase "it's not what you know, it's who you know" really does have some meaning behind it. If you don't work your ass off at getting to know people and getting yourself out there, you're going to find your job bloody difficult! There is always going to be an element of skill and knowledge, but that's not going to get you anywhere if you don't have the personality to match it. 

They mentioned that there is never any 'stalking' when it comes to PR. You can nag a person, you can like every single one of their tweets, you can interact with them for 6 months. Bug the hell out of them because you're not stalking, you're networking. Ha. They're all going to regret saying that.... 

 

I managed to have a quick chat with Tom after the session and it really hit home that BU provide us with some amazing guest lecturers. He told us a small amount about a couple of jobs he has going on at the moment and all I can say is... wow. The fact Hilary managed to get not one, not two, but three speakers for us that are so inspiring is beyond belief and it makes me so glad that I chose BU as my uni. There is nowhere else that could possibly set us up for a career in PR like BU do.

The #BUPride is strong over here. Can you feel it? 

I'd like to give one more huge 'thanks' to Tom, Sam and Richard for being so generous with their time. For those of you who know me, you may know my love of PR was waning a little and they have completely reignited it.

I can tell you right now, it's a bloody good feeling. 

So yes, my lazy Wednesday plans were shattered but hell, it was worth it. And besides... there's always next week! 

Until next time! 

M x  

A Blogger Without the Internet? Oh, My.

I, Megan Ruddy, am addicted to the internet. 

Once I finish a TV series on Netflix, I feel empty. I check Facebook before I go to bed and I check Instagram as soon as I wake up. If I'm in an awkward situation, I'm one of those who mindlessly looks through Twitter and I stay awake too late because BuzzFeed has pulled me into a list of the top 50 cat GIFs. 

I can't help it. 

Now, I know you don't want to know what I had for breakfast (nothing) or what film I'm currently watching (Pretty Woman), but I am a part of Generation Z and we are the generation of the Internet. There is nothing that we don't write about. We post about what we love and what we hate and every single detail in between. We know we seem absent and we hear the complaints about us 'always being on our phones' but you know what? The internet is here to stay folks and it's only going to get worse so you may as well embrace it.

I'm sure you're aware that the new term of university has officially started. I'm all moved into my new house with my new house mates and everything is going swimmingly. We've changed our address on everything that we have needed to and bills are slowly falling through the door. Splendid. We have a coffee machine, Sky TV, new beds and more Ikea candles than any house could ever need. 

 The one thing that we have been missing for four weeks? (This is where you might spot a theme).

Yup. The Internet. 

What we originally thought was going to be a ten day wait turned into three weeks and holy moses, it was a loooooooooong three weeks. 

But ... not as long as I thought it would be. 

The funny thing about having no internet is that you're forced to converse with the people that you are living with. As they say, 'the art of conversation is, like, dead and stuff' and it's strange to be suddenly without the lifeline that we are all so used to having. To actually sit in a room and talk to people without them checking their phones, without someone tapping a laptop, without any notifications or tweets or facebook chats. To play games and watch movies without any distractions. It is a wonderful thing.

We managed to get a TV and together, we have watched more Sex and the City than anyone should ever watch in 3 weeks but it was the only boxset that we had and we bloody well enjoyed it. We came up with random stories and made weird plans that have lead to some bloody good memories and I think that it has really helped us bond as a house. 

But it has also been an absolute pain in the arse. 

It's stopped us from being able to do our work or looking up information when we have needed it. You don't realise how much you rely on the world wide web until you don't have it. The amount of times I've heard 'Oh, I'll just look it up. Damn, I can't' is unbelievable. We're a generation that cannot live without our connection and maybe that's not a bad thing.

You can say that we're too reliant on the internet and our attention span is shorter than it has ever been before. We're absent from the here and now. We expect everything to be a google away. 

But we also build relationships that would never have been built before. There is information at our fingertips that allows us to learn and develop and become more understanding. 

There are, as with everything, pros and cons to being in a time that is so dedicated to something which you can't even really see and there is no denying it's nice to have it back. But I'm pretty certain that I'm going to miss the times we spent just chilling out and watching TV together without being connected to anyone on the outside of our little bubble. 

Sometimes it's just nice to disconnect. 

M x