Marketing Officer
Lewisham County Council

Will B

00:00:03 My name’s Will B, and I’m a Marketing Officer at Lewisham Council. Essentially what my job is, is making messages for people that live in Lewisham. For example, it might be around recycling, or it might be around events that the Council is holding, like Black History Month, which is an event that we hold annually. Or People’s Day, which is South East London’s biggest Community Festival. And our job is to talk to people in the organisation, and on their behalf make – make messages that are – that can be understood, and are attractive for people who live in Lewisham.

00:00:45 At A levels I studied Economics, History and Psychology. Worked pretty hard, got a pretty good mark, went to Manchester University, where I studied Economics and History. At University I had a great time, brilliant time, and then left University and got a job in a bank.

00:01:06 In the City I worked in their Corporate Actions and Mergers Department as an Assistant. I’d left University, I decided that I wanted to go into that line of work because I – I’m not quite sure why now, but I think it was financial. Financially-driven. And I was sitting there at my computer one day, and I thought – I don’t want to be doing this for a very long time. And I took some time away, I took some time to think about things, and I applied for an advert in the paper to become a – an Assistant here in the Press Office. And the work was enjoyable, I could see my work making a difference, and when I was enjoying my work, and I was more motivated, the success that comes with that I believe came – and the money did a bit as well. I mean you’re not paid as well as you would be in the City, but I feel my life is better, and the Council offers a very good work/life balance. They – it’s down to your Manager’s discretion, but there can often be flexi-time, so if you’re working late on a project to get out a poster, and it’s taken you, you know, three hours of an evening, you can usually get that time back on a different day. So it’s – it’s more of a flexible working environment.

00:02:17 University was great fun – I would – anyone just go to University for, you know, for the experience and also for the learning. It’s an incredible thing, try and get there. Other high points – I’ve recently – I did a competition around – which was called the Success Factor, which was based in the Council using cameras – camera equipment, which tried to highlight people’s successes in their jobs. And I had a lot of fun doing that, and worked with a lot of great people, and was lucky enough to get some Local Government awards for it. I’d say that was another high point.

00:02:57 I don’t think there was ever a big plan, I just think that the decisions at any one time seemed sensible to me for a lot of reasons. Looking back I couldn’t give you those reasons, but I think it’s difficult to plan too far ahead, you just – you make the decisions as they come. And with hindsight, I can see what I thought was right for me a year ago, I wouldn’t want to do now. There’s – there’s – I’ve been shown other things, and other directions, that are better. I think planning is a good thing, and you should always try and do things that will make your future better, but it’s a case of, you know, keeping those plans fluid and, you know, picking your directions, you know, as they occur.

00:03:40 ENDS