What do you want to be when you grow up?

This question is so daunting, especially at a young age, because how is anyone supposed to really know the answer? When I was around 8 years old I wanted to be a mermaid. Then at age 12, I decided I was going to be a singer (despite not being able to sing). However, when I reached age 15 and had a world full of options to choose from, I had absolutely no idea! Having to choose what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing at such a young age was scary, and I felt like I’d be wrong with whatever I chose. I had always been a daydreamer, creating fake scenarios and stories up in my head whilst paying zero attention to what was going on around me, but I couldn’t make that into a career, right?

Wrong.

I discovered the creative digital world properly in College and it absolutely changed my life. I realised you could create anything you wanted online, no matter how weird or unimaginable it seemed. I was inspired by movies, TV shows, music, social media posts, posters, magazine covers and everything else digital, and knew that I wanted to be in this industry one way or another.

“You just have to follow your heart, even if it’s scary.”

After studying graphic design and media studies in College, I spent months debating between the two courses for what I wanted to continue studying at University. The worry of having to choose what to do for the rest of my life came back, and I found myself overthinking every little thing and even considered not going to University at all, just to avoid the decision. However, one of my tutors told me “you just have to follow your heart, even if it’s scary”, and I realised he was right (thanks Lee). I was more passionate about design, so I took the plunge and applied to study Graphic Design at the University of Lincoln.

After studying for a year, I constantly felt like something was missing, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. I was creating things, coming up with ideas, and daydreaming every day, yet I still wasn’t happy. I started to lose my creative spark and I was devastated. After 3 years, I passed my degree but found myself with no desire to make a career out of what I’d just spent so much time doing, and I didn’t know why. It wasn’t until I was working for my local police force taking emergency calls from the public that I finally realised what had been missing all those 3 years at University. I wanted to design things and be creative, but I also wanted to help people.

“I finally realised what had been missing all those 3 years at University… I wanted to help people.”

I immediately started looking for roles that allowed me to do all these things even though I had no idea where to start, and wasn’t coming up with much. Then I saw it – digital marketing. A job that would allow me to be creative, adventurous, and also help people achieve their goals and make their businesses grow. It seemed the perfect fit, but I still had to find the perfect company to start this journey with. After more searching, and a lot of stress, I finally found Fishtank. An innovative company with so many different creatives and marketers working together to create stunning visuals, campaigns and websites for their clients. I was hooked (no pun intended) and applied. After a few tasks, interviews and crossed fingers, I was offered the role of Digital Marketing Apprentice.

So here I am, finally working in my dream job with my dream company. I think 15-year-old me would be proud.

If you want to find out more about Chloe, visit her bio here.