‘I want to be an actress when I grow up’, ‘I want to win the X-Factor’, and ‘I want to write my own best-selling novel’. These are just some of the many thousands of dreams that children may have when they are growing up. One thing that I have realised since leaving university is that, often, people are ok with you having big, “unrealistic” dreams when you are growing up or still studying. However, once you leave education the most important thing seems to be finding a full time job regardless of your preferences. I was lucky in finding a job just a few months after graduation but my dream is still going strong and I still know where I want to end up. It is always easier to find a job when you are in a job, so I do not mean that you should be picky when it comes to finding your first job. But never lose sight of your dreams because it is easy for them to get lost within the busy schedules of working life.

My dream has always been to work in comedy. As a member of the Largs Youth Theatre I knew I loved being on stage but when it came to leaving high school I didn’t feel like I had the acting talent to go to a drama school. I decided to go to university and study English, something that would give me good writing skills but also leave me options of jobs. Throughout university I wrote comedy sketches that were performed by the drama society and I knew that it wasn’t just being on stage that I loved but it was putting in work and making others laugh. I decided to keep a note of everything funny that I heard or thought of in a notebook that could perhaps be used in future sketches.

Over the past few months I have been writing my own material for stand-up. This is something that is new to me but I really wanted to push myself. Last week I performed my first official stand-up set in a comedy bar in Glasgow. It went better than I thought it was going to go and I got lots of laughs, not only from my friends in the front row, which is the main thing. But now I know that I can do it and will push to become the best that I can.

Even though people may say that dreaming big is unrealistic and silly. Often, they are just worried for you because they want you to find a job and be happy. My advice would be to keep your head strong, write down your goals and take every opportunity that comes your way. These goals can always be your anchor, no matter where life may take you your dream will always push you to do your best. What better time of the year to set new goals than coming up to the New Year! Start 2016 motivated!