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This is such a good thread and equally applies to journalism and no doubt other jobs re the benefits of a working class background. My Scouse parents are working class. They moved to the Wirral though so I guess that made me lower middle class or posh working class and... https://twitter.com/DrLMRobinson/status/1334585977915006976
... I too gained certain skills from not having the cushion of money and working constant part time jobs throughout school and university. A school Saturday job at Boots helped cured me of embarrassment when having to advise women about the store's sanitary products.
This is a huge help when it comes to doing vox pops and approaching strangers in the street with a microphone. Working at Cadbury's one summer introduced me to the hilarious wit of much older women on the factory floor. It was a lesson in not ignoring voices. Look beyond...
...Working as a waitress meant I learnt to smile at customers, no matter how nervous I felt, and that simply being pleasant and conversational brings out the best in people and yourself. A huge help when doing interviews with nervous interviewees.
I was a barmaid for over 5 years, part-time and sometimes full-time during longer holidays. It was about stamina, adhering to last orders and learning to diffuse sexual propositions or aggressive arguments as well as sometimes ejecting drunk blokes without getting punched.
This was a huge help when I worked in journalism - especially news. Honestly. It was a male dominated bear pit when I started. I've had male journalists square up to me like those drunks in the bar, chest puffed out, uttering threats. It meant I could stand up for myself.
That ability to feign confidence until you feel it yourself, strike up conversations with strangers, avert potential sexual harassment and fight back rather than crumple if attacked are huge assets for journalism. And life to be honest. But it's also about the value of work...
It's about being interested in what makes people tick when there's only one person at the bar who's lonely and want to chat... it's about understanding the value of money when you work so damned hard for so little. Of talking to people different to you with different opinions.
I also have a hugely strong work ethic and that directly relates to my background. It's also about trust because, at 16 (I'd lied about my age) I was sometimes in charge of closing the bar and adding up the cash takings, leaving it in a box for the night manager.
So @DrLMRobinson's thread is a wonderful reminder of the richness of experience - especially for journalists - and how it doesn't have to be that parent-funded internship at Tatler that helps your career. It's the small stuff, the rough stuff, the lessons learned...
My background and job has made me comfortable talking to cleaners (my aunt Liz cleaned the Bluecoat and other fine Liverpool establishments), royalty or Nobel Prize winners. I once thought it was something to overcome. Now I realise it's been a huge asset. Make it yours too.
