At the tender age of 16, I was called in to speak with my school’s careers advisor. After the awkward pleasantries and a discussion concerning my A Level options, the conversation turned to what I, a 16-year-old kid, wished to do for the next 50 years of my life.

The careers advisor - who in an attempt to be more approachable went by her first name, Trina - began to romanticise the possibility of me getting a job in IT (one of my stronger subjects at the time). I dared to utter the word ‘journalist’. As Trina rolled her eyes I realised two things; it was possibly the thirtieth time she had heard that word that day, and succeeding as a journalist would be an uphill battle.

Now approaching 18, appropriately wizened and world-weary of course, I can laugh at my youthful naivety. At the time I perceived journalism to be a profession as attainable as any other. The sheer quantity of failed journalists I have since seen around me, however, has made it clear that success is difficult to achieve. In my attempts to get noticed I have begun to believe that the biggest challenge in entering journalism is gaining reputability.

As any established journalist will tell you, the key to success is to start early, build up a portfolio and pray you get noticed - and of course many will suggest the internet is your best bet. The area of the profession I have my heart set on is music journalism. Whilst the overwhelming amount of musical opinion on the web - from YouTube comments to Amazon ratings – sometimes makes this 17-year-old feel no one will ever take him seriously, my persistence in writing and posting my music reviews has taught me that the more I write, the better I get - and the more I have to flaunt to the people who may be able to help me succeed.

Whilst the aim of journalism is to reach a large group of people, it remains a personal endeavour. As a result, there are no dedicated government schemes or recruitment centres, but there are plenty of programmes aimed at helping us aspiring journalists achieve our goals.

My participation in the Young Journalists’ Academy summer school last year was not only a great opportunity in itself, but it also opened my eyes to the approachability of those in the business. Magazines, newspapers and indeed journalists themselves, always seemed mysterious, allusive and separate to me, yet those seven days last summer taught me that these people do exist outside their columns, and they are willing to help aspiring writers such as myself. The number of email addresses I collected that week alone is a testament to this fact.

After attending the summer school and producing my first few reviews and articles, my past year has been focused on writing. Admittedly my perspective on the challenges and opportunities for young people wanting to enter journalism is limited by lack of experience. For all I know my fate is a Windsor knot, a company car and a job in IT as Trina foretold. Yet it occurs to me that the greatest challenge of entering the profession is not the fact that a huge number of other people share the same goal. Instead, you need to have the determination to create opportunities for yourself which may one day lead to success.

Tom Slater has just finished his A Levels at Haydon School in Hillingdon. He blogs at www.redfacereview.blogspot.com