500 Word Reflection
Currently, I am a second-year Media and Communications student. After coming from an engineering background before starting university, I have adapted to learning about a whole new industry. During these last two years, I have developed a passion for international journalism. I have always been interested in global politics and current affairs and the ways in which the media is utilised in politics.
Throughout this module, I have been taking part in short courses that are available on LinkedIn Learning so that I can learn and develop some of the skills that I am going to require in my future career. These courses have included ‘Editing Mastery: How to Edit Writing to Perfection’, ‘How to become a Purpose-Driven Journalist’ and ‘Boosting your Confidence, Public Speaking and Performance’. The course ‘How to become a Purpose-Driven Journalist’ inspired me to keep on working and improving my skills in writing and researching after listening to Norah O’Donnell’s journey to becoming a successful journalist. I have also attended seminars hosted through the Royal Television Society. One of the seminars I attended was ‘Working in News – is it the toughest gig in TV?’ hosted by a variety of news journalists from different departments talking about how they managed to get the career that they have and what they enjoy most about their role.
I have also started to try more styles of writing this semester. I started a blog which contains content about travel, sport and current affairs and I also started to create more creative writing pieces. Using what I learnt from completing courses and seminars, I have been able to use some of the techniques into my blog and creative writing. By starting a blog, it has given me the opportunity to practice styles of reporting writing and editing that I will likely need to use in my future career.
I am also planning to take part in a year abroad. This experience will allow me to gain invaluable international experience. Also, as I want to work internationally in the future, this opportunity will help me be able to adapt to working and communicating with people from different cultures, which is another essential skill for my career.
I have started to do some more in-depth research into careers and potential work experience in the journalism industry, as this is something that I do not currently have and is vital to be able to attain my dream career. At first, this research felt daunting to me as I was feeling overwhelmed with where to start, however it has since allowed me to become even more inspired by the range of opportunities available as part of this industry. It has also made me aware of the skills that I will need to have to be successful in reaching this goal.
Through completing this module, it has not only allowed me to see the areas in which I need to improve on to be able to reach my goal of becoming a successful journalist, but it has also allowed me to see and become inspired by the opportunities that I have available to me and the skills that I already have that will help me to achieve my dream career.
Bibliography –
LinkedIn Learning. (2020). Boosting Your Confidence, Public Speaking and Performance.https://www.linkedin.com/learning/boosting-your-confidence-public-speaking-and-performance/boosting-your-confidence?u=2039756
LinkedIn Learning. (2020). Editing Mastery: How to Edit Writing to Perfection. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/editing-mastery-how-to-edit-writing-to-perfection/some-final-exercises?u=2039756
LinkedIn Learning. (2020). How to Become a Purpose Driven Journalist. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/how-to-become-a-purpose-driven-journalist/political-journalism-and-tough-questions?u=2039756
Royal Television Society. (2020). Working in News – Is It the Toughest Gig in TV?https://rts.org.uk/event/rts-midlands-careers-fair-working-news-it-toughest-gig-tv
