The joys of working life – well I say work but it was
work experience. There were many and I aim in this post to define what they
were.
At University we are educated about the theory and
practice of journalism, in a variety of different contexts, through modules.
This is done to prepare us for working life and to mould us into employable
individuals, with the relevant skills needed to be professional journalists.
Even though we are given assignments which make us put into practice what we
have learnt. I found that until you find yourself in a real working life
environment, you don’t appreciate the value of what you learn. On the other
hand however, it is only until you are ‘in the field’ that you truly learn,
regardless of how many assignments you do.
I shadowed various industry professionals and also was on
placement at BBC Radio Lancashire. The beauty of this placement was I got
treated as a fellow member of the team and I was given tasks to do for the
programmes that would air on the radio. Although this may seem a daunting task,
it is actually the best way to learn. I was sent out to conduct vox pops that
would air on the drive-time show, be a reporter and interview Steven Burke MBE,
who won a gold medal at the Olympics for
cycling, and also produce a package on Asian carers. As well as partaking in
production meetings and sharing ideas for programmes and stories.
The shadowing was arranged partyly through myself but
mainly by Deborah Robinson, UCLan Senior Broadcast Journalism Lecturer. I was
offered the work placement by John Clayton following on from a careers event at
UCLan. All these opportunities were perfect for my Work Placement module, JN3048.
The best part of the placement for me was not only producing the work but
working with professional journalists and listening to my work going out live
on the radio. The skills which I gained from working with professional
journalists and working for a highly acclaimed radio station cannot be taught
in a classroom.
There is an old saying which states “Actions speak louder
than words.” Going on work experience showed me this because regardless of how
many hours you spend in a library or classroom. Only when you are putting
theory in to practice you will truly learn.
Note: Nothing will prepare you for the 8am starts though!
