OPINION: The trouble with second year blues
The trouble with second year blue’s, by Joshua Rom
This has been a very stressful time at the university of Nottingham as this month so much activity has been going on.
Not only did I realize that I have 12,000 words of essay’s due in January but we also launched my brand new show on NSTV (Nottingham Student Television) titled ‘The Panel’. 
What I have experienced this month is apparently normal in second year.
Cue the ‘Second Year Blue’s’!
It’s the time for the big academic jump from first year and you need to start thinking about your future career which to be honest is daunting and intimidating especially thinking about life beyond the safe havens of the library and NSTV office and in the big wide world.
This month has been a whirlwind and full of weird transitions from spending hours working independently in the library on my essays to then having the opportunity to experience filming a new show as a main presenter in a real television studio used for actual television broadcasts.
Several questions, dilemmas, and conflicts have been debated over in my head.
I obviously, like any student want/need to do well in my degree and get that acclaimed 2:1 result. However I also want to go into the television industry and work as a journalist/presenter.
To reach career my goals and aspirations, I need to gain as much experience as possible doing all sorts of activities not just practicing and working on my presenting skills in order to look more natural in front of a camera but researching, planning, filming, producing, scriptwriting and all sorts of enjoyable but time consuming roles not to mention work experience on weekends in order to learn all the knowledge in order to be employable in the industry.
This is my dilemma and this is where I fell down this month as launching a new show to a high standard takes time, energy and I have had to make some social sacrifices in order to make the show idea a reality so when employers ask for example’s of what I have done I can show them.
I have also spent so much time working on my essays to the point I cannot be bothered to call my family back in London. What I have taken away from this month is not just the fact that I need to find a better way of managing my time but also that although what I do is fun and enjoyable, I need to knuckle down and focus on things that are important in the long term.
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