I didn’t always know I wanted to work in marketing. At school, I was convinced I
By Ailsaedwards · October 13, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
I didn’t always know I wanted to work in marketing.
At school, I was convinced I was going to study architecture. Then my careers adviser told me I wasn’t a good fit and wouldn’t get the grades. I did get the grades, but that’s a story for another day!
By then, I’d changed direction and decided to study Interaction Design at university.
People from different design studios would come in and talk to us about their work. One speaker described someone who understood the priorities of different departments and brought everyone together around a shared creative vision.
My friend turned to me afterwards and said, “I can see you doing that.”
Truthfully, so could I. I just had a long way to go.
During my second and third years, I completed three design and marketing internships:
🚗 A B2B car repair group
💻 A web and app development company
💎 A high end jeweller
They were three very different businesses, but each one taught me something valuable. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with marketing.
Armed with a design degree and a passion for marketing, I entered the job market....during COVID.
Perfect timing!
I moved to Manchester and became a marketing assistant at a project engineering company. They gave me the opportunity I desperately needed, and I loved growing with the business over the next few years.
Then came the biggest turning point.
While visiting one of my oldest friends for the weekend, we started talking about work and what might come next.
I loved my job, but life had thrown a few things at me personally. I needed a fresh start.
Should I find another job, or finally try doing my own thing?
My friend said, “What have you got to lose? Just quit and try.”
So, on Monday morning, I handed in my notice.
I moved cities, worked some random jobs while I found my feet and slowly started building something of my own.
Three years later, I’m doing what that university speaker described: bringing brand, marketing and design together to help businesses shine.
So, what am I actually trying to say?
You never know which conversation will stick with you or completely change your perspective.
One helped me picture the kind of work I wanted to do. Another gave me the push to go and do it.
Neither felt life-changing at the time, but both helped shape the path I took.
She asked me what I had to lose.
Turns out, not much. But I had a hell of a lot to gain.
#PLMLinkedInChallenge