Graduate case studies
Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.
As staff writer, my responsibilities include regularly updating the DIVA website, writing news pieces, features, highlighting events, interviews, and creating more lighthearted pieces like listicles. I also pitch and write ideas for the print magazine, manage social media accounts and deal coordinate press trips for the travel section of the magazine.
A typical day would involve coming into the office, grabbing a coffee and catching up with my colleagues (we're a small team). Then I'd begin by checking and answering emails, make a to-do list of what needs to be done that day – social media posts, news pieces to be uploaded to the website, meetings coming up that week and – depending on where in the press cycle we are – I might also be transcribing interviews, writing pieces up, or chasing PR people for images to go alongside features in the magazine or on the website!
Seeing a piece I'm proud of in print.
Dealing with the fact that you never feel 100% happy with a piece and often times, you just have to let go – that's what editors are for!
Gender and sexuality has always been an interest of mine and actually, I'd considered studying that further at one point – but writing has been something I've done for years on the side. So I thought, why not study journalism, and then I can write about gender and sexuality – two birds one stone.
The obvious things – writing, communication, editing, transcribing, but also less obvious things like – working as a team, learning how to interview people when the topic of the interview is sensitive, knowing how to say "hello, please, thank you" in different languages when you're sent on a press trip!
I was lucky enough to go straight from studying for my MA in Magazine Journalism at Sheffield to my role as staff writer at DIVA magazine, I've been in the role full-time since September 2017.
Honestly, I'm not sure – I don't think many people are. But I'd really love to keep working on my writing skills, writing for more publications (I'm able to freelance alongside my staff role) and allow myself more time for creative writing.
Again, honestly? Be prepared to work a lot of hours for not very much money – at the beginning at least. At the same time, I think journalism can also be one of the best jobs out there, especially if you find the thing that you're most passionate about to write about.
You got this, folks.
Last updated: 31 Oct 2018