Work ex is coming my way

The work experience placement I applied on Friday has cashed in with a result as I have a two week placement on the news team of my local commercial radio statio over summer. Very happy indeed, as my phone call following up the e-mail led to a placement offer and thumbs-up from me! I am soon to write something for the NUJ in collobaration with Liverpool JM Uni as well which should look great on the CV and give me valuable experience writing for industry professionals.
Outside journalism, I worked a shift serving the supporters pie and beer at Blackburn Rovers football on sunday and doing the same on wednesday night and its been a nice and tidy job to keep the money rolling in. 5-a-side this morning was terrible, last week it was arranged for 10-11 and without telling me that had changed to 9-10am so not happy but can't do anything about it.
Currently working on a blog about Iraq and British troops there so that will be up very shortly but the rest of today is going to be spent preparing and being in a seminar, working on cover and overt bias and relaxing at night by watching the footy! Have a good day.

Manchester Media day event

firstly, this is my 6oth post on this blog, it might sound good but the fact that I have had it over a year...well it points out I am not the most consistent blogger ever.
Anyways, yesterday I went to the Manchester Media Careers day which was right next to the G-MEX centre with the journalism society or JoSo (clever isn't it? JOurnalism SOciety!) at my University by train. The event was supposed to start at 10:30am but the queue's when we arrived were massive and it only got bigger so we stood outside in the cold and rain for around 45 minutes trying to get in. When we did I have to say the day was mostly a success, apart from the lack of a stall for Channel M which suprised me and the fact that the seminars were taken almost instantly due to the sheer volume of people.
The BBC, XFM, ITV, MEN and a whole host of other stalls were available though and provided me with some good people to talk to and find out how best to apply for work experience.
I have sent another two letters out today to try and get work experience in the summer and soon to send out another e-mail as well as I desperately need somewhere to work in the summer to get more experience about the industry I want to spend my whole life in! My piece I wrote for the student newspaper didn't get in either but not that surprised as it was only a NIB and not an important one either but my radio show is back on air this weekend so I will be gracing the ariwaves from 9-11am this weekend.

Following on...

... from my last post I have not got the placement at the same local paper as I did last year :( as I applied to late. I have been metaphorically kicking myself since I heard that and as I said in my last post: I should have applied earlier. I have applied for another local paper back home and to be part of the news team at my local radio station as I desperately need a placement this summer, to fill time and gain valuable journalistic experience that I do not obtain on my course. However, after the weekend at home for my cousins 18th b'day I have come back to Uni refreshed and ready to get stuck into assignments. I have 2 essays 1,500 words each to in March and a mahoosive portfolio due in for the end of April which I am going to get on with after posting this blog. My radio show will be back on air this weekend which I am looking forward to and hopefully all the equipment will be working. Tomorrow, I am off to the Manchester careers day with the UCLan Journalism society so I will be armed with my CV to gain the most experience I can from that but tonight I am going to relax by watching my team face up to the Catalan Giants in the Nou Camp, should be a great football game and will be my just rewards for the hours I am going to put in now for my work to try and get that, so far elusive, 2:1 in the 2nd year.

Planning for summer

I have been busy today preparing for summer work experience placements. It is around this time, maybe even a little earlier that most of the journalism students apply for work experience placements in the summer. When everyone else is relaxing and taking a break we are slaving away in the industry that we want to spend a career in. Might sound bad but its not, I thoroughly enjoyed my work experience placement at my local paper last summer and I have applied there again. I learned a lot about journalism in the real world and not just what the University course offers me. Hopefully these work experience placements will help me get a foot in the door because my assignments are not helping my cause at the moment. My 2nd year has not gone so well at the moment and I have had assignments back and found out I have not done as well as I would have liked and its not a great feeling. Just means that I have to work harder in other assignments and do better or else I will be in danger of missing out on a 2:1 and if 2nd year results go like this with only so much work then my 2:1 degree is in major threat for my 3rd year. Still plenty of time and I hold out hope, just have to work harder and do better.

Journalism course

I am in my 2nd year now so things are starting to pick up an soon I have to decided whether I want to take Broadcast (Radio and TV) or Newspaper route- I have narrowed it down to them 2. So far I have had 3 assignments back and got a good result on one but the others haven't been as good, still plenty of time to pick it up to a 2:1 and not far off at all.
One thing I have noticed about the journalism course at UCLan is that they tell us to express our opinions and free speech but as soon as that a slight criticism of the journalim department happens... then it shouldn't have been done as has happened on a recent occasion! Anyways, Frequency is another area were my cuurent frustration lies...the manager resigns, the studios take longer to refit then necessary then the playout system is changed without telling anyone! My radio show today was very poor, tomorrows should be a bit better...I hope.
I have realised this blog is sounding quite negative about UCLan and journalism, don't get me wrong it is a great course and like anything, has a few minor problems that shouldn't detract from the fact it is NCTJ qualified.
On Monday if I get a good result, if I learn how to used the new radio station playout system and speak to a course rep or the tutor I will be happy as pie again.