Connor found himself in a common situation where his dreams of forging a career in a creative field, in this case photography, was being neutralised by the pressure of finding regular secure employment. He was conflicted and lacked direction. Upon meeting Carl, an LCC Employment and Skills advisor at Morley JCP, a plan was put into place to reassess Connor’s short and long term ambitions. His advisor Carl encouraged Connor to analyse his skills and knowledge and consider what his priorities were. Connor stressed that a career in photography was something he really wanted to aspire to but he realised that he also needed a steady income. He didn’t believe that these two goals could progress alongside each other but with some action planning and goal setting established it was clear that they could. Carl advised Connor to get some specialist advice on starting one’s own business, so signposted him to The Business and IP centre at Leeds Libraries. He also sought advice from his work coach at Morley JCP on self-employment and how this would work with his benefits. Further information, advice and guidance included:  Giving feedback and advice on his website  Creating an online social media presence  Attending networking and meet up events  Applying for DBS and safeguarding training  Signposting to specific online learning tools such as Google Digital Garage, Future Learn etc.  Drafting a speculative letter to send to local studios and photographers in hope of gaining some work experience.  Researching photography qualifications through further education All of this hard work carried out by Connor and the guidance offered by his E&S worker has enabled Connor to establish a solid basis for a potential career in his chosen area of interest. However, as it was recognised that to forge his desired career, a more reliable and regular income would be required. We simultaneously set about putting the employability requirements and skills in place to increase Connor’s chances of securing such work. Suggestions and research was carried out on Fareshare warehouse placement/FLT course, Safety Stewarding course and more. We then updated his CV, wrote a cover letter, and reviewed job searching techniques. “Carl has helped me realise that I can achieve my ambitions of starting a career in photography. He has given me the tools and confidence to appreciate my abilities and I now feel more motivated to give everything to achieve my goal.” Connor now has a clear vision and is well on the way to securing work as well as building the stepping stones to a potential career in photography. Keep an eye out on Connor’s website here: www.connormoizer.com Original Article