...following on...

I should probably tell you a bit more about who I am.

Up until this July I was a student studying graphic design & advertising at Central St Martins, London. I graduated with a 2:1 Honours Degree. Pampered by the luxury of a student loan and disillusioned by the prospects of a great job I was blissfully unaware of what life would be like after my degree. What lay ahead was an enormous blank abyss, THE REST OF MY LIFE.

I would no longer be in a system where I had a routine, a plan, a three year plan. Since being a child like everyone else I was weened on an education system, following rules and guidlines. My life revolved around the order and timetable of this system, I woke up when everyone else woke up, I had holidays when everyone else had holidays, I had late nights when everyone else had late nights and so you get the picture. It also had a fixed future, more or less, from GCSE's came A Levels, from A Levels you can get a bit confused but for me this lead to an Art Foundation Diploma and then finally a Degree (before traveling on a cliched GAP Year). But what they don't prepare you for is what happens next...

I was lured into studying by the expectation that a degree will guarantee me a good job, but admittedly I idolised the lifestyle. Looking back the course benefitted me in a way I couldn't imagine, it changed the way I think and work. I wouldn't swap it for anything in the world. I only wish the certainty of a well paid job was a money back gurantee. After-all getting a great job was the main reason for studying at St Martins. 

So here I am now, living on benefits, that's what happened next. After graduating I worked at Cafe Nero for a short period. My outer body became a branded brushed aluminium shell, my eyes became small LED lights, my mouth transformed into a welcoming grin adorning words with politeness to those who don't deserve it. I voiced repetitive greetings and service related requirements, the last things to change were my hands and arms as they became cup shaped paws, my mind went blank. Yes, I became a robot slave. I was shackled to the very light weight minimum pay, as a result it was easy to break free. I decided to actually use the 2:1 degree I paid so much for.