It’s kind of difficult when you’re asked a few years later to write an article about being an Ents Officer or your time as Ents Officer. Once you’ve gotten older and have left college it can be a challenge to remember accurately how you felt about it at the time. It kind of becomes blurred and tainted by how you feel about it now. We all look back on photos of ourselves when we were younger or hear stories about what we did and cringe at the memory of our younger selves.
Having said all that, it is not to say that I didn’t enjoy my time as Ents Officer or that I regret it in any way. The only thing I regret is the level of importance I seemed to attach to the job and to myself for doing it. It is the arrogance of youth that I cringe at when I recall how self important I was. It is the levels of unnecessary stress that I put myself under that I would change. Because really more than half the college don’t care what you are doing or what the events are. More than half of the other half are happy to go to the same cheap drink nights out as the year before and the remainder will be pleased enough if you put on a decent ball and throw in the odd curve ball like Howard Marks (well done Mick!) or The Presets or something. It really isn’t rocket science!
The hardest part is just realising that and enjoying it as much as humanly possible. It is the best opportunity you’ll ever have to completely lose the run of yourself for an entire year and get paid to do it! You can put on events you’ve always wanted and with the budget that is there these days you can basically do what you want. I wish whoever wins the best of luck and hope they do plenty of things they should regret – I hope they drink, smoke, and whatever else too much, sleep with an unacceptable amount of women, don’t go to the gym or get enough hours kip, eat greasy food and just have an unbelievably good time. Not many people get the opportunity to do what whoever wins is about to so they should take full advantage of it. Just remember not to think any of it is too important.
