I've never been particularly good at introductions, especially when sober, so it's lucky that instead of revising for an exam tomorrow, I've been drinking beer and watching sport all day in true lad style.
Jon Waring, nice to meet you...
Continuing on the lad theme, I've just told a bit of a lie. I haven't been drinking beer, but I really do have an exam tomorrow. I'm in the final week of my NCTJ training and as of next week I'll officially be able to call myself a journalist.
I'm nearly 25 and a bit of a latecomer to the game. I got held up in this strange world they call 'banking' for almost two years until I found my way here.
It was around this time last year when I got back from three glorious weeks spent watching England hammer the Aussies on their home turf and win the Ashes in the process. It could have been liver damage from three weeks on the smash, but something was making me feel queasy.
Two days later and I'd worked it out. I couldn't face going back to work. Even as a penniless student I'd never imagined myself working for a big bank but there I was, sucked in by a good wage and the promise of an annual bonus. But I didn't like the job and wanted a career change.
I needed a job I was going to enjoy and feel passionate about doing. My main interests in life are sport and writing, so being the mathematician I am, I put two and two together and came up with sports journalism.
So after enduring the numerous "why leave your 'good' job to become a poor journalist?" jibes from friends and family (you know who you are!), and five intense months of learning how to write articles and shorthand at a million miles an hour, here I sit, about to embark on my new career.
Sure, it's going to be tough, after all I haven't found myself a job yet! But I'm a realist and I understand the competitive nature of the industry. I don't do pessimism, mainly because I grew up playing cricket with a group of lads where seeing a glass half-empty means someone isn't drinking quickly enough.
So I'm here to stay. And if you want to follow my progress you can find me here, blogging about the big rumblings in sport, with a focus on stories from the land Down Under.
Let the games begin.
