Lighthouse is proud to play its part in this week’s Discover! Creative Careers Week, a call to arms to the sector to provide young people with direct encounters with cultural workplaces.
It’s part of the Government’s pledge to build a highly-skilled, productive and inclusive workforce for the future, to maximise growth of the creative industries by £50 billion and support a million more jobs across the UK by 2030.
As well as welcoming young people to Lighthouse for an exclusive behind the scenes – including a walk through on the set of the West-End smash Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) in our Theatre – we are hosting sessions for teachers in which professionals from the creative industries will talk about how schools can be the doorway to creative careers.
In a special blog for Discover! Creative Careers Week, Lighthouse marketing intern Aoife Kelly talks about her experience of seeking a career in the creative industries.
Being told growing up that the Arts—and practically anything but STEM subjects—were not worth my time or were less valuable, heading towards a career in Marketing, especially within the Arts, was not something my Year 10 career advisor would have expected!
Being discouraged from pursuing a job in the Arts is common; for me, it started as early as primary school and continued into college and even university. But many of my friends have earned bachelor’s degrees in the Arts and are now doing wonderful things in an industry that contributes £10.8 billion to the UK economy—including myself—despite the ‘advice’ given by teachers, lecturers, and others my age.
Having a dyslexia and ADHD diagnosis, and never having a natural affinity with numbers or science, I found being told to avoid the Arts sector difficult. Sadly, these conversations have been happening for generations. Is it a lack of awareness of the different paths available, or a lack of resources and support in schools? Maybe it’s a combination of both.
The post-university pressure is something I also felt. Although common, the feeling of “so, what now?” is never easy. Searching for post-graduate roles in the Arts is competitive, no doubt about it, and with the number of routes you can take, I knew that an internship was what I was looking for. I remember during my search finding the role I’m in now. It seemed like a great opportunity and exactly what I was looking for.
The combination of building on skills I already had and the opportunity for hands-on Marketing experience at the largest multi-arts centre outside of London was something I was not going to pass up.
I am now almost halfway through my internship, and I’ve had the chance to work as part of the wonderful Lighthouse team, get involved in Christmas campaigns, and provide support to the Marketing executives. This has given me valuable insight into Marketing and helped me build a solid foundation for the next steps for my career journey.
My dyslexia and ADHD, which once seemed to hinder me, are now assets to who I am and how I work. Struggling for so long in education and then finding my feet in this internship has been a journey, but one I’m proud of.
I’m glad I chose to ignore those opinions. I’ve learned that the Arts have been misunderstood and are as impactful and meaningful as any STEM subject, and that neurodiversity is something to celebrate and understand.
At Lighthouse, I feel like my unique attributes are valued. The staff are passionate and encouraging, and I feel like I’ve been given the opportunity to prove all those people wrong. If your heart is with the Arts, and if you struggle with learning in ways people don’t always understand, stick with it and follow what’s right for you.
Aoife Kelly