Question: At what age did it occur to you that you wanted to become a geographer?

Milly Bell answered on 3 Dec 2025:

I think it has always been in the back of my mind that I would like to work in a nature-based role, but I was never sure what that would look like. I enjoyed Geography at school, especially the field trips as I lived close to the Lake District. I then went on to study Geography at university, mainly because I love how varied the subject is- one minute I was studying glaciers, the next I was learning about cities and globalisation. Whereas some people get to university and really focus down on one specific subject, I really wanted to keep learning about lots of different topics, added to the fact that I wanted to work in the environmental sector, Geography was the obvious choice! I still didn’t know what area of the sector I wanted to work in, and ended up working in Local Government for about 3 years (most of which was in Sustainable Development!). I then ended up moving to a different part of the country and gained a position in comms with the Forestry Commission. It was during this role that I decided I really liked working in comms, getting to talk to people and communicate information was something I had always enjoyed. My current role is in Forest Research, a different part of the Forestry Commission, but I also work closely with Kew Gardens. My day to day role consists of producing content for the Centre for Forest Protection website (https://www.forestprotection.uk/), social media, YouTube, and newsletters.

So whilst I think I’ve always wanted to be a geographer, it’s only in the last few years (my mid-twenties) that I’ve found the area I really want to work in- environmental and research communications!