Show Notes
Today's guest is Harry, aka the Champagne Socialist [https://www.tiktok.com/@thechampagne_socialist] on TikTok. I found Harry through one of his
We talk about what it's like choosing a university degree course, what kind of doors open for you while you're there, and how to approach the myriad opportunities a university degree offers.
That said, Harry told me that university isn't a golden ticket. University is much more accessible to more people now, which is a good thing, but what that means is that most young people looking for their first serious job will have a degree - it doesn't set you apart. Harry says that's why it's so important to think about what else you can do to make yourself stand out, over and above the learning you'll gain during your course.
He also told me that extra-curricular activity like Duke of Edinburgh awards and NCS aren't likely to improve your chances of UCAS offers from the best universities. Instead, Harry says take every opportunity to learn that's offered to you, get involved in other things outside of school and university - things you can add to your CV, and things that will expand your point of view on the world, that employers will be interested in.
Harry says it can feel demoralising to have a great education and a good brain, and to still be struggling to get your ideal job.
We talk about what it was like being a student during Covid lockdown - it sounds so hard, and if this was you or your child, you'll relate. Harry talks about his diagnosis of autism as a teenager, and how that affected his mental health at university during the pandemic.
Who is the Champagne Socialist?
22 year old Harry started his satirical analysis of UK politics as part of a module for his university course, but it grew so quickly that he continued it long after the project was over, highlighting young people's views on the biggest failures of our government. He now has 123k followers, and is recognised by followers who attend events just because they've seen Harry talk about them.
As well as producing content for TikTok, Harry is also developing a podcast where he talks about the British and global political landscape.
More teenage parenting from Helen Wills:
Helen wills is a teen mental health podcaster and blogger at Actually Mummy [https://www.actuallymummy.co.uk/], a resource for midlife parents of teens.
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There are already stories from fabulous guests about difficult things that happened to them as teenagers - including losing a parent [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-do-you-cope-loss-parent-when-youre-teenager-ryan/id1501488455?i=1000495564421], becoming a young carer [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/danielle-on-being-a-young-carer-for-her-alcoholic-mum/id1501488455?i=1000468538022], and being hospitalised with mental health problems [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/emma-bradley-on-being-hospitalised-mental-health-problems/id1501488455?i=1000470008123] - and how they overcame things to move on with their lives.
You can find more from Helen Wills on parenting teenagers on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/iamhelenwills/] and Twitter [https://twitter.com/iamhelenwills] @iamhelenwills.
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