Ashley James was "miserable" doing jobs she hated to make ends meet.
The presenter and DJ admits before she got to do what she is doing now, she really struggled to enjoy the jobs she was doing.
She wrote: "Don’t let your age or fear be an excuse for stopping you from doing what you want in life. Let this year be a reset button for you and DREAM BIG … I’ve had a few jobs since I graduated from uni in 2009 (and even more jobs pre-uni: my mum had me chambermaiding from about 13, and I’ve worked in retail, been a lifeguard, a waitress, a cleaner etc!). And they’ve all been GOOD jobs and opportunities. It’s what kept me in each of them for at least a year, because I felt I should be grateful for having a good job. … But I was miserable."
And Ashley has urged others to not do what she did and take the leap to change their career and study and start again.
She added: "I HATED my job. I saw adulting as doing a job you hated to make ends meet and do fun things on the weekend. But at 25 I decided to quit to pursue my dream of presenting. I had saved £2000, had zero industry contacts, and zero experience. So I got grafting. I moved in with a friend who charged me £400 a month rent, and did promo work (until I started being recognised during MIC) to scrape by each month. I didn’t earn money for a few years and I missed out on all the holidays and experiences my friends were doing. But I had a dream and I needed it to make it happen. Now at 33 I get to say that I LOVE my job (even though it’s a lot slower due to Covid). I get to DJ all over the world, I get paid to go on TV shows I love, and I’m forever evolving my interests: I’m studying to be an empowerment coach and have a few secret projects on the way. Even now, it’s not too late to study and start again."