These days to get a job in journalism, a lot of newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations are asking applicants to have an NCTJ accredited course. Some university journalism degrees aren't accredited, so having a degree isn't the be all and end all with this. I decided I wanted to pursue journalism at the end of my second year at university. My heart wasn't in creative writing anymore, but with one year left at university, I carried on and completed my degree. A year after finishing university, I'd gotten a place on an NCTJ diploma course at a college in Sheffield.
This course was not what I expected at all. In a bad way and a good way, I suppose. It took a while to adjust to the intensity and the level of work that was expected. I found it difficult for weeks because most days I'd leave college and head straight to work, so I didn't have any time to practice shorthand outside of college. Whilst other people in my class were building up speed quickly, I was stuck on speeds for weeks at a time.In the beginning, I wasn't sure I could do it. I remember having tutorials with my tutors and expressing this worry, that I wouldn't pass exams, I'd never get a decent shorthand speed, my portfolio was crap, I wouldn't actually be able to do the job at the end of it all. I'd never hidden the fact that I wanted to be a music journalist, but it wasn't massively supported, nor was it really ever truly understood by my tutors. We were very much geared towards going off to work at newspapers
In all honesty, it's been like everything else I've ever done, not very well organised. Through miscommunication, or a lack of, a lot of things were always left until the last minute, and a lot of the time we didn't get priority in the college around other classes. Classrooms were sometimes changed and one of our lessons was cut down to an hour because of a timetable clash. We all failed one of our exams due to being told it was at the wrong time.
But, a while ago, a few people told me I couldn't do this. But I have. I've sat through public affairs PowerPoints that were 40+ slides long, shouted at my laptop, ranted and rambled about why I don't care about planning permission or some other irrelevant topic, stressed over revision, cried in the toilets at college, had choice words with tutors, had a story published in the local paper, went to court twice, went to an inquest and a council meeting. I've done all these things I wouldn't have done otherwise, gained experience and have a solid idea for the sort of area I'd like to work in. So to those who told me I couldn't: I just did.
It has hands down been the most stressful twenty-two weeks of my life, and I probably wouldn't have gotten through it with any ounce of sanity had it not been for a couple of really good friends. It's not all been great, but it's not all been awful either. And last week, I found out my portfolio had gained an A grade and I grew the balls to apply for the job of a lifetime. So, at the end of it all, it has most definitely been worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment