From PE to owning a clothing store!
Joe Bayliss Jr studied Physical Education at Brighton and now owns a clothing store in Eastbourne. He shares his story:
“My name is Junior, I graduated from Brighton university’s Eastbourne campus last year in Physical Education.
“I now own a clothing store in Eastbourne, known as DisDressed, selling brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren, through to those like Balenciaga and Valentino. I really wanted to share my story for any of those with uncertainty about university.
“Since leaving school at 16 I’ve worked in over 10 different sectors such as retail, security, delivery and manual labour. I decided after a few years of personal training that I wanted to help the younger generation with health, fitness and activity so I decided to enrol on the three-year PE course at Brighton which is renowned as being the best there is!
“I had plenty of jobs whilst at uni which threw a bit of uncertainty into the mix and made me question which way I really wanted to go with my career – should I stay in uni or not?
“I decided to stay at university as I realised just how much it teaches you about analysing information, not believing everything you hear and generally giving you a deep understanding of the world around you.
“Whilst on the course I realised there was nowhere for me to shop in Eastbourne for the style and brands I liked. To cut a very long and painful story short, I decided to open a store myself as I knew there was a market for it.
“I’m now pretty far from the direction I started in when I began university but the three years there certainly gave me the clarity I needed to know that anything is possible. I took a gamble and I did what I thought would work out the best for me; if it doesn’t I can start again or get into teaching with my degree.
“But one thing is for certain… If I’d have left uni early, I’d probably have no store to my name and definitely no degree behind me so whatever way I look at it uni was a huge positive!
“I’d be really happy to answer any questions anyone has about being at university and would like to offer 15% off to anyone who’s come across this article, redeemable by quoting ‘Alumni’.
Kerry Burnett • 17/12/2020