Last July I graduated from the University of Salford where I studied BA (Hons) Journalism: News at the MediaCityUK campus. A year later, I received a job offer from one of the biggest news outlets in Bulgaria and I was accepted on a trainee scheme at the European Parliament in Brussels.
Working for bTV, Bulgaria:
I did not apply for the position in the national TV station in Bulgaria, as I am still studying MSc Digital Marketing. However, my journalism portfolio and professional work were spotted by the managers of the TV station and they proposed to me to become an international correspondent while still studying and later on, when I come back to my home country, to start working for them full time.
As a child, I have always been interested in current world affairs and couldn’t imagine life without the regular news updates. That is why I wanted to become part of the news-making process and applied for a journalism course.
I decided to apply for the University of Salford after I went on an international higher education conference in my hometown. As I am an international student, I didn’t have the chance to come to the UK and visit an open day. However, just by looking at the photos in the brochure, I fell in love with the University and was determined to study here.
I was so fascinated by the main campus and especially by the MediaCityUK campus which is home to the Journalism programme.
When I arrived in Salford and settled myself in the student accommodation, I couldn’t wait to start the induction week because that is when you meet your lecturers, the students on your course and find out what the teaching will be like.
At first, I expected my course to be more theoretically orientated. However, it turned out to be much more practically-orientated, and the modules were taught by professionals from the industry, with a fresh and innovative approach towards the trends in journalism.
It was only when I received a job offer from one of the biggest national news outlets in my home country, Bulgaria, that I realised how many skills my course had given me. What is more, it was not only the learning side of the programme, all the internships I got involved in gave me an invaluable set of transferable skills, combined with the experience of living abroad.
During my course, we were taught to be a ‘Jack of all trades’. We learnt how to think creatively, to develop a strong sense of what makes an engaging story and work under pressure to meet deadlines. Also, we got to edit our pieces using a broad range of programmes, work in teams and produce entire TV and radio broadcasts by ourselves, present, write pieces for print and online, design magazines, newspapers and blogs.
I have said it before, and I will say it every time – if I had to choose what and where to study again, I would choose Journalism at the University of Salford every time.
That is because without the knowledge I’ve gained I wouldn’t have fulfilled my lifelong ambition – to become a journalist who tells high-quality stories and contributes to people’s lives.
Working at the European Parliament in Brussels
To be honest, when I filled in the application form and sent my portfolio, I didn’t expect to get accepted to work and train within the European Parliament because very few people get accepted (only 6%). However, when Robert Schuman traineeships for university graduates got back to me and told me my application was successful, I was on cloud nine! I haven’t begun the six-month placement yet but I am looking forward to this opportunity, I feel it will contribute immensely to my work experience, also I will get to meet new people, and make new friends! I promise I will update you on what it feels like to work at the European Parliament as soon as I begin working there.
Good luck to all current and future journalism students, I hope you find your way to your dream career and use the skills gained at the University of Salford wisely.
Finally, I would recommend studying at the University to everyone because Salford is not only about getting a diploma – it is about making your dream come true.
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