Currently...

I am working at MTV in Development Production, which is part of the In House Production Team for MTV and VIVA. Our team has to come up with ideas for tv shows, for shorts and specials, and for marketing and 'noise' around the channel. We hold brainstorms in the office and weird and wonderful places (last week we had one in a pilates class!) to come up with creative ideas and develop pitches for shows to be presented to the Head of Development and MTV. We are also sometimes asked to run brainstorms for other parts of the company (International, Marketing and Press, News etc) to come up with ideas for their shows. When the Head of Development likes our ideas we have to shoot tasters/pilots, so this then involves camera work, production and filming and editing.

Before I escaped...

I was working in a Management Consultancy on their graduate scheme. I did this for 18 months.

My moment of truth...

I have always been involved in drama and theatre and knew that my passion lay in the arts and entertainment... so probably forever. I remember my godmum taking me to the set of a film when I was about 9 and I completely fell in love with the whole buzz of the place and everything that goes into creating tv and film.

I always knew the Consultancy job was not completely right for me to be honest. But I guess the moment of truth was after a year at the job finding an email I had sent after 2 months there saying that I knew it was not what I wanted to do. I suddenly realised that I had happily carried on with it for another 10 months and so could have easily just carried on for another 10 years reasonably happy. I knew I had to make the change before I got too comfortable.

Planning for it...

I spoke to a lot of people about making such a big change - it really was a complete job and lifestyle change. I went from a very good salary to pretty much nothing (inevitable when you start in tv), so had to plan for that. I have moved home temporarily, I am saving more and being more careful with my money (not a bad thing), and really started to plan what my future goals were - something I never did before because I could not really see a future in what I was doing! I had luckily saved a bit of money during my time on the graduate scheme. 

The worst and best bits...

Best things: It actually was not that hard! It just took some effort - moving house, resigning, and starting again are all quite emotionally tiring but all worth it! Realising that you can get yourself out of something or somewhere you do not want to be in and making a change! I think a lot of people (me included) are scared of change but it made me realise that it is actually such a good and healthy thing!

Best advice...

So many people told me that 'if they could go back in time, they would have left their job and gone for something they loved'. A real cliche but life is too short to be unhappy with what you do.

My new boss said that a big risk always has big reward, which I think is a good one too! There is always a way to do what you want to do even if there has to be a little bit of sacrifice along the way.

Definitely get out of a job that makes you unhappy before you are stuck and cannot find a way out!

Useful resources and information...

Friends and family and generally people's advice has been the best resource!