From Student to Staff: How South Devon College Helped Me Find My Path

Former Paignton Academy student reflects on choosing South Devon College for A levels and how it helped shape her path to university and a career back at the college.

I finished school at Paignton Academy in 2017, proud of what I had achieved but still unsure about exactly what direction I wanted to take next.

Choosing South Devon College for my A levels felt like a sensible step. The move from secondary school to college came with more independence and responsibility, but it also gave me time to start thinking more seriously about what I might want to do in the future.

While I was at the college, I began to realise how much I enjoyed creative subjects. That interest eventually led me to study Film Studies & Screenwriting at undergraduate level in Winchester, before going on to complete a master’s degree a bit closer to home in Exeter.

Looking back, college was an important part of that journey. It was a space where I had the time and encouragement to explore different interests and start figuring out what direction felt right for me.

Now, returning to South Devon College as part of the Marketing, PR and Communications team feels quite special. It’s strange in a good way to come back to a place that once was the next step after school, but now it’s the next step after university too.

To those who are thinking about what to do next, my main advice would be not worry too much about having everything planned out straight away. Sometimes it’s only by trying different things and taking small steps forward that you start to see where you want to go.

A teacher at Paignton Academy once told me to take each step as it comes and see college as a stepping stone to your best potential. That idea has stuck with me ever since, and I know that South Devon College provided that for me.

Sometimes the most important step forward is closer than you think.