From the Bottom to the Top come on I want to see those HANDS!

If you aspire to be something or someone, you always have to start at the bottom.

You get the celebrity stories; from council houses and stolen bicycles to red carpets and limos, from divorced parents to proud parents, from bullied at school to being a whole nation’s idol. You get my drift.

When I got my job at the local newspaper, I thought - wow I'm finally going to be in the business of media. But trust me, Advertising Sales is not all that. I am not the most confident person in our supercilious society, in fact putting me in an office with four women I don't know turned me into a rosy cheeked 8 year old about to have her flu jab. I have always been like it. That’s why I always have other girls calling me 'sweetie' and asking if I mind 'us calling you chels.' I like it really, I like how I am the only person still living up the floral look, with my 'pretty clothes' and 'nice hair.' But sometimes I think it would be nice to be the confident bubbly girl that calls other people 'babe' and 'darlin'', and asks them if they have a boyfriend or where they got those shoes from.

I've always dreamed of working in an office, wearing smart clothes, answering emails, owning a nice handbag and having competitions on who can type the fastest or with their eyes closed. (I don't know where I developed this notion, as this has never actually happened.) I was surprised when I got the job, the only experience within the media department was editing my old school's newsletter. I was over the moon when I got it, and because it is difficult to gain any success in my little ghost town, the praise I received was rather overwhelming.

But I’m not prancing about the delinquent town, interviewing the old folks on the terrible site of graffiti on the new play park, or asking the vicar what precautions he is taking to prevent the little chav kids from drinking white lightening on the church green. No, I’ve landed myself in advertising sales. I sit down from 9-5 in a chair so comfortable it almost hurts, rocking back and forth calling up builder after builder, plumber after painter, roofer after tiler trying to persuade them to advertise in the local newspaper.

This is tough when my area of focus is Chard. It’s the kind of town that always seems to have bad weather, even when it’s scorching hot in the neighboring village. The kind of town that gets 'incest is best' graffiti’d over its welcoming sign. (I don’t for a second believe this concept, and I have nothing against Chard, besides it does have a great little New Look store!) You wouldn't want to go there on a night out though, let’s just say it’s in the name... C-hard, fulla hard nuts I've always said. There was a great story, as ironic as it sounds, involving a man who attacked another man. His name? Pete Dunnit. Brilliant name for a criminal, I bet court was humorous.

Anyway off subject. So Chard, I will call up - put on my polite telephone voice, and this is 99 times out of 100 the conversation that takes place:

'Hello there, my names Chelsea, I'm calling from the local Newspa..'

Rude Plumber:'Right'


'Just a quick call, as I've seen you are currently running an advert with the Chard and Ilminster news, an I was just wondering if you'd like to advertise within our three edit...'


Rude plumber: 'Naaa lav, I ain’t got no badget...beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

Now, I am not one of those characters who can never say no, and easily take it for an answer, thus I am not the most persuasive of people. If they say no, then I'm all like okaythanksbyeeee. I'm not good at the old 'oh come on its a total bargain, go on my son av it.'

But I am beginning to enjoy it, two years ago, I would have walked in the office and then straight back out again. This is almost too easy as my current place of residence is directly opposite the offices. I can actually see my mum hoovering the living room if I pop in to get a fax for use the photocopier. I am getting a lot more confident on the phone, developing relationships with my colleague and my clients. My motivational sentence is, if I can't do this, I can't be a journalist. And i WANT to get there one day, as they say; you have to start at the bottom to get to the top.