The economy, unemployment, the future... Politicians, economists, and journalists are constantly debating these key issues for our country but rarely come to an answer. But behind all this, there is a fairly simple truth: no matter what anybody says, jobs are hard to come by.
I got my transferrable skills from working at entry-level, gauging what I wanted from my career, and making sure I had what it took to get the one I truly wanted. But now there's a Catch 22: school leavers need experience to get jobs, but they can't get experience without jobs.
There was a time when I was young and unemployed, struggling to start my career. During my A-Levels, I was hit by a car, which shattered my bones and left me confined to my bedroom for a year. Weirdly, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Along the way, I learned a lot about being told I didn't have the right skills for the jobs I wanted and how to overcome the setbacks and keep pushing forward. This is why I've become an Ambassador for LifeSkills, a programme created by Barclays to help one million young people get the skills they need for work.
Something I can't stress enough is the massive importance of work experience. It's the only way to find out what work is really like when you're figuring out what path to take and to get an understanding of what it takes to achieve your career ambitions.
Some young people can rely on a privileged background and great connections to get work experience, but I don't believe anybody can be guaranteed success nowadays.
Radio 1 has always championed women; take Annie Nightingale, for example. One of my heroes.
People are so passionate about their favourite artists making it to number 1, it almost reminds me of football fanaticism. Nowadays, it's 'One Direction' vs 'The Wanted.' Back in my day, it was 'Oasis' vs 'Blur'.
I look back at my old school journals, and they're full of self-hatred, full of me condemning myself for not being prettier, richer, more popular.
School was horrific for me, constantly an outcast for being a geek.
I used to wear these big shapeless clothes and ended up just looking like a potato in a sack. I've learnt now to accentuate the bits that I'm happiest with. That's probably my waist - a lot of my clothes go in at the waist and emphasise my hips, which I'm very proud of.
Most of my friends are male. And I've known some of them to literally go through mental breakdowns and still not talk about how they feel. Except to me. My shoulders are sodden with the tears of men.
