Graduation Day

So it's really happening..

I've graduated and have a first class Masters degree from the University of the Arts London!

Four years ago during the Covid lockdowns I was made redundant from my IT post with CC Engineering, I had spent the last three years in their employment first as a Deskside Engineer at a security firm and later as a Datacenter Engineer. The work was varied yet i was starting to feel that the environment was soul destroying. I had no interest in seeking another IT role, in fact the thought of any officer-based vocation sickened me. I had to pursue a more rewarding existence, explore my potential and perhaps make a difference in some way. I had already realised my love for photography, equipped with my new camera (courtesy of a previous severance package) I taught myself the basics of image capture and was improving my techniques swiftly with satisfying results. Encouraged by this I made the decision to apply for university. I wasn't ready to return to the workforce, not as I knew it anyway, and thought that enrolling on a bachelor's degree course would buy me some time to consider my work options whilst engaging in a practice I enjoy.

Going to university was never an option when I left school, the education system of the 70's failed many who looked like myself branding us underachievers. Needless to say I felt a sense of disengagement from the system, I realise now that this worked both ways. Although I performed well in subjects like Geography, Art and Sociology my final grades were pitiful and I parted with a handful of CSE's and a couple of O-Level's. Prior to leaving high school the Employment Officer made it clear that I shouldn't foster any ambitions beyond manual or retail work, I settled for the latter. My working life began at Ryman the stationers where i started as a sales assistant but i soon found myself progressing through the ranks eventually becoming a store manager. Then followed a shorter stint as a department manager with the furniture retailer Habitat. Bored with retailing i became a postman, then a Travel Information Assistant, Admin Assistant and finally a Desktop Engineer at Lambeth Council. I held that position for 20-years until a drastic downsizing initiative, which came with a slightly more generous than usual severance package, proved too irresistible to pass up.

...more to follow

Date:

Friday 14 July 2023

Location:

Royal Festival Hall

London

Ceremony Video (BA Photography)