Greg's story

My name is Greg and I am 21 years old. I have had to work really hard to get where I am today, working as a news assistant at Channel 5. One day I hope to be on the other side of the camera and be a TV presenter.

I left home at the age of 14 and went to live with my twin in a foster home in Wandsworth, London. It was hard leaving my mum but at least me and my twin had each other. We stopped bothering with school as there was no one to make us do our homework. I now know I'm dyslexic but school would just say, 'No, that's just your ability, that's how far you're gonna get.'

My school work started to suffer 

I did get some GCSEs but mostly I enjoyed lessons like drama, where I didn't have to pick up a pen. I feel annoyed that my dyslexia wasn't diagnosed - no one was fighting for me.

I wanted to go to drama school but was told that I needed my parents to fill in the forms so I didn't bother. I saw an advert in The Stage newspaper for the London Weekend Television Speakwasy Award. I had to say what my ideal job was and why. I got an audition and won! My prize was to spend three days with Trevor McDonald, the ITN newsreader. From then on, I knew that being on TV was what I wanted to do.

From my contract at ITN, I got some work experience at Channel 4. However when the HR manager there there found out, she asked me to leave as she said that you had to have a degree to work there. It knocked me down.

What now?

I decided to start a course in media studies to learn how television is made. At the same time I got my own flat with the help of Wandsworth Independent Living Scheme. I found it hard moving into the flat. I had to cope with sorting out my housing benefit, managing my money, living on my own for the first time on top of the problems I was having at college with my dyslexia. I just kept thinking 'good things come to those who wait' but in the end I had to give up college.

I had been offered a place to study journalism at Middlesex University but didn't go as my tutors at college said I wouldn't cope. Even though I didn't get my grades, the University still wanted me to go but I was too scared. I applied again the next year but didn't even get an interview. I had missed my chance and really regretted it.

Getting work experience

I wrote to loads of newspapers and got work experience on New Nation, an ethnic media group. I also presented for a year on a local cable TV station, IC3. I didn't get paid but it was good fun. To make some money, I stacked shelves at Sainsbury's in the evenings and at weekends.

I had begun another course in journalism, did more voluntary work on a newspaper called The Gleanor and managed to get 2 weeks work experience over half term at Channel 5. This was extended to another 2 weeks but my tutor at my college said my studies had to come first. I had already had to drop shorthand because of my dyslexia and was only going to get half a qualification.

So I took a risk and left college. I told the manager at Channel 5 what I had done and luckily, he offered me a job. it was a gamble worth taking. Since November I have moved on from being a general assistant to a news assistant. In 6 months I hope to be a junior producer and one day, a presenter.

Don't give up! 

My advice to other young people is, anything is possible if you put your mind to it. It may feel like you're getting nowhere at first but don't give up. I wrote hundreds of letters but I got in somewhere. You can do it.