Humans of Portsmouth - Jonathan's Story

[Tell me a bit about your background and what brought you to Portsmouth] I was born in Lidköping, Sweden, but moved to Horsham in West Sussex when I was just a few months old. I grew up in a very musical family which led me to study Music at GCSE level and Music Technology at A level. I initially planned to pursue sound engineering as a career and applied to the University of Surrey, as they had a strong reputation for their course. However, I found that it was very technically focused and required A-levels in Maths and Physics, which I hadn't taken (I couldn’t think of anything worse than studying Maths or Physics beyond GCSE!).

Portsmouth was my second choice and felt like a good fit. It’s a modern university that was refurbishing its recording studios at the time, which was important to me as I wanted to study on the latest and greatest kit. Plus, it was still close to home and I enjoyed the compact layout of the city. 

[Are you interested in music?] Music has always been a big part of my life - my dad plays drums and my mum plays guitar and sings. I started learning drums from a very young age, playing in various bands and orchestras throughout school and college, and completed my Grade 8 in Drums. When I was 15, I started working at a live music venue in Horsham, doing sound for gigs and comedy nights, which gave me hands-on experience and deepened my interest in the technical side of music as well.

[What course do you do?] I initially started studying Music Technology, but after the first year, I realised the course was quite heavily focused on studio-based work, which wasn’t my main interest. I’ve always been more drawn to live sound and the practical, hands-on side of production. This created a bit of a conundrum for me - I knew I wanted to stay in Portsmouth as I had settled in, had a job and made friends, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do career-wise and if I even wanted to pursue a career in the music industry. In the end I decided to switch to Creative Media Technologies as it offered a really broad range of modules, allowing me to try lots of different areas so I could specialise in the one I was most interested in.

[How did you get involved with UPSU?] Just before I came to university, I saw an advert for an event technician job at UPSU. I applied and got the job, starting when I arrived in September. When I joined, the Projects Team needed extra support, so I stepped into an additional role, becoming a Projects Admin. From there, I was promoted to an uplifted role, supervising the event technician team and supporting and leading larger projects and events, and I have now recently moved into a full-time position as a Groups Specialist.

The experience has been invaluable to me - I've developed massively both personally and professionally throughout my time here and the skills and experience I have gained will definitely boost my employability after I graduate. 

[What is your greatest achievement?] My greatest achievement will be when I graduate in July! I’m very proud of the work I’ve done during my time at UPSU though. I’ve worked on some great projects but I think my favourite would have to be Winter Ball. Starting it as a brand new event two years ago and growing it last year has been an incredible project to lead and I’m looking forward to building the brand and making it even bigger and better this year!

I was also recognised at Union Awards with my very own award, the JTM award. This was a complete surprise to me and it felt great to have my achievements recognised formally. 

[What is a piece of advice you would give to a student just starting off at UoP?] I’d say get involved in as many extra-curricular opportunities as you can. Join societies, take up work or volunteering opportunities through the Students’ Union or the University and go to events and socials - they’re all great ways to experience new things and meet new people. 

But most importantly, don’t take it all too seriously. You’ll never have the same opportunity to try new things and have fun so get out of your comfort zone and enjoy it! (and try and go to some lectures too).