The theme for Social Mobility Day 2025 is #ShiftMindsets. To mark this important day, our Alumni Leadership Board member, Bethany Spain, discusses why we need to challenge traditional narratives around success and social mobility.

It’s a phrase I’ve heard countless times. Both from others and, if I’m honest, from myself: “You have to move to London if you want to make it in the media.” It’s the unspoken rule, the default expectation, the supposed gateway to opportunity. But the truth is, moving to London – or another big city – isn’t a simple choice for me. It’s a huge leap into the unknown, filled with pressure, costs, and compromises I’m not sure I’m ready (or able) to make.

Growing up in Scotland, my roots are here. The hills, the community, the slower pace: they all shape who I am. Leaving all of that behind means more than just a change of address. It means uprooting my support system, the comfort of familiar streets, and, crucially, the affordability that lets me keep my head above water. The cost of living in larger cities, particularly London, is no secret, and for someone like me who’s juggled multiple jobs just to get through university, the idea of starting fresh in an expensive city feels overwhelming.

There’s also the mental load. The pressure to prove yourself in an industry that already expects free labour and unpaid internships is exhausting enough. Add the challenge of navigating a new city where you don’t know anyone, and it starts to feel less like an adventure and more like entering survival mode. Being away from the people and places that ground me means losing more than just physical comfort, it chips away at my resilience.

I had my first taste of London through the Sutton Trust’s Summer School at University College London in 2019. It was the first time I’d ever travelled so far from home, and it felt exciting. Full of possibility. Back then, being in London was an opportunity I was lucky to grab.

The support I received from that Summer School, alongside the Trust’s Opportunity Bursary during university, and now through the Alumni Leadership Board, has shaped so much of my journey. It gave me confidence and connections, and showed me that I belong in the spaces I once thought were closed to me. But it also taught me something important: access to opportunity shouldn’t come with the condition of having to leave everything behind.

The popular narrative that you have to upend your life and move to a big city in order to succeed and progress in your career disregards the reality that many people have to (and also want to) stay put. It assumes we can afford to take the risk of leaving without support or safety nets, and considers it a given that we don’t want to stay close to our communities. It ignores how social mobility is about much more than geography, and mobility in one direction. To me, social mobility is about having access to opportunity wherever you come from, being able to succeed in whichever place you call home. It involves breaking down barriers that aren’t solved simply by relocating.

Freelancing or remote work might seem like solutions, but they come with their own challenges: unstable income, isolation, and the expectation of constant hustle. For many, including me, these options aren’t glamorous escapes but balancing acts that require grit and grace.

So please, don’t make me move just to prove I’m serious about my career. Listen to the stories of those who choose (or can only access) different paths. There’s power in staying rooted, in building local networks, and achieving ambitions without leaving your community. We need to challenge the perception that moving is the only route to success, and remind ourselves that success isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Talent, passion, and hard work exists in every corner of this country – the theme for this year’s Social Mobility Day is a helpful reminder of that fact.

The opinions of guest authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Sutton Trust.