What job will I get?

We sought comments from a random sample of our graduates, those in the media and those whose employment is not related to journalism.

They answered from the UK and across the world - the US, middle east, Norway, Denmark, east Asia, India or wherever.

And they responded to the questions: Do you regret reading journalism? What are you doing now? Would you with the benefit of hindsight have chosen a different course? If not, what transferable skills do you reckon you learned?

Here are their replies, in no particular order...


Highly recommended
I went into B2B (business-to-business) magazines, then newspapers, and now head up editorial for the Middle East´s largest contract publisher. At the risk of sounding sycophantic, I´m very pleased I did the course. Although `media studies´ seems to have been lumped in with waste management and other Mickey Mouse degrees, when I´m employing writers I specifically look for people with proper journalism training, both because they tend to be better trained and because it shows that they´re serious about being journalists. With the market the way it is at the moment we tend to be inundated with CVs (I got more than 200 last month for a job in Qatar, which I doubt is anybody´s dream destination) so I have to be pretty ruthless when narrowing it down to a manageable shortlist. By and large those without some kind of formal journalism training go straight in the bin. Whether or not the degree is transferable to other industries I have no idea, but for someone who´s sure they want to go into journalism or a related field, I´d highly recommend it.
The skills I learned at Sheffield were directly relevant to all of it.
Philip

Enormous confidence
Studying journalism at Sheffield opened doors for me at the start of my career in factual network television. Having a journalism degree put me on the same footing as colleagues who had done postgraduate journalism qualifications. I was even told the reason I was given my first job in network current affairs telly was because of my journalistic qualifications. Doing the course gave me enormous confidence and enabled me to progress quickly through the ranks.
Vicki

Doors opened
Completing the BA in Journalism Studies at Sheffield was essential in finding my current job with a major NGA, both in terms of the skills I gained and the doors which were opened due to having the qualification. Taking the course led to a series of work experience placements, which led to a paid internship, which led to a permanent position within an interesting and exciting sector. I find I am able to use the skills and knowledge I gained as part of the course on a daily basis, particularly in terms of interviewing, writing and sub editing - my knowledge of media law has also proved to be especially useful. If I had my time again, I would definitely do the same course as I cannot imagine that I would have got this far without it, especially when searching for jobs in such a competitive environment.
Jennifer

Motor sport journal
I can tell you that my BA in Journalism Studies played a pivotal role in my being invited for interview at the leading motor sport journal, where I have now worked since March 2008. The practical skills I learned in Sheffield and then applied to my first job as a trainee reporter at a local newspaper, helped me perform strongly in a news writing test and were invaluable in allowing me to settle in quickly as a working member of the magazine´s staff, and make valuable and immediate editorial contributions. The course gave me a definite professional head-start in an environment where most of my colleagues were motor sport enthusiasts first and professional journalists second.
Ben

Confidence boost
I am now studying to be a midwife. I transferred to the journalism course after two weeks doing English Literature. With hindsight, I would definitely take a year out after leaving school to really think about what I wanted to do.
Saying that, the reasons I wanted to read journalism still apply. I enjoy communicating with a wide range of people, and investigating in order to get to the root of a problem.
I still love writing but this is hopefully something I´ll go back to later in my career as a midwife, in the form of contributing to journals and research.
Doing the journalism course gave me many skills that I use now on a day-to-day basis, including analytical processes, reasoning an argument, as well as vastly improving my general confidence levels.
I definitely don´t regret my decision to study Journalism as without it I wouldn´t be where I am now - it´s imperative to be able to put the women I work with at ease, and `extract their story´ so to speak, often having to read between the lines. There are so many cases of domestic abuse, depression and other issues where it´s vitally important to be able to pick up signals and evaluate the situation, skills I feel I learned from reading journalism.
I also don´t regret it as I met my best friends doing the course, two of whom I am being a bridesmaid for next year!
Charlie

Poor pay
I was in the first batch of journalism students who graduated with a shiny new degree in Journalism Studies in 1997. Thirteen years later I am changing career due to personal circumstances and the grim employment situation for print journalists.
So what do I really think about the hasty decision I made all those years ago? Well, I loved the business of being a regional newspaper journalist. Every day was different, I met some wonderful people and was given insight into lives that were different to my own. I was privileged to have a job which involved writing for a living, and I will never take that for granted.
But I wasn´t prepared for how awful the pay would be. I graduated in debt and earned £12,000 my first year. As a news editor working long hours under considerable pressure I never earned more than £27,000. I had trainees working bar shifts to pay the bills. Interns making up for staff holidays, reporters doing the job of two because the company was unwilling to replace a staff member.
I recently made a half hearted attempt to resume my career, after three children, by asking for casual shifts, but that work is now done by unpaid journalism students. So am studying for a second degree in psychology which parallels life as a reporter, and will then train as a teacher.
Nicola

Seasoned hacks
A journalism degree was the best preparation for my working life now on Fleet Street. Without learning the fundamentals, not to mention shorthand and media law, my passage would have taken much longer. There was also one added bonus - the lecturers are all seasoned hacks with unrivalled experience and contacts within the business.
Paul

Sheffield credibility
It´s difficult to write this without sounding like a kiss-arse, but here goes...
Having a degree in journalism from the University of Sheffield doesn´t give you a fast-ticket into the industry. What it does give you is credibility. When I have been for interviews, and even when on work experience placements, employers have always recognised Sheffield as a good institution for rolling out top-class journalism students. The course gives you practical training that is invaluable within the work environment, from shorthand to conducting interviews and approaching case studies. I am now working on the features team at a leading magazine. But I also feel that my degree has given me the capability to move between platforms having had radio, television and news reporting training. To sum up, it was the best £27,000 I ever spent. I´m glad I didn´t study English.
Georgina

Useful skills
I´m really pleased I did journalism, and am immensely proud of my degree. I picked up skills there that can be used across different fields like how to write engaging copy, how to structure a story, shorthand, design work etc.
Since graduating I worked for a PR firm in Sheffield and then a digital and educational consultancy.
I currently work for a PR company in London working for clients like Samsung, Cobra beer and McDonald´s and also freelance for football website Goal.com.
Tim

Celebrity journalism
I worked for five years in the ever-fickle world of celebrity journalism, hanging around the frayed edges of the red carpet and living on a diet of canapes and cocktails. Fun, while it lasted.
I then transferred my skills into a Primary PGCE (teaching) and have never looked back. My journalism degree helped enormously with what I do now in the classroom. One of our Literacy units is Newspapers, where I set up a mock newsroom and stage a news incident for the children to report on. I also run a school newspaper, printed professionally every six weeks, which is a huge success with children and parents.
Journalism has helped to hone my grammar and allowed me to understand the many different genres of writing, from descriptive pieces to opinion columns - all skills which I have passed onto my pupils. Most of all, a degree in Journalism sounds so much more exciting than English Lit.!
Katy

Highly recommended
I am teaching in a special school. I might have taken a different tack since studying journalism but at no point have I regretted choosing to read it at Sheffield. Learning to write properly and generally communicate well has, I think, given me a huge advantage in my line of work.
Education, like many public services, is cursed with the need for constant new initiatives and the deluge of words that accompanies such things. Studying journalism gave me the skills to cut through the unnecessary and helped me develop a healthy scepticism, something I still need so I can ask the right questions.
The strength of my writing means the proposals I write are likely to carry more weight than something unfocussed and jargon-filled.
Reading journalism taught me to explain complex ideas in ways that people understand. Though the audience has changed, that is also what I do as a teacher.
The nature of the course gave me the opportunity to get out and see the city of Sheffield properly. Something I wouldn´t have been able to do if confined to the library. I felt more of a part of where I was living.
Matt

Invaluable skills
I have no regrets whatsoever about studying journalism, even though I have ended up on a different career path. The vocational nature of the course and the wealth of communication and research skills it taught me have been invaluable. I think that the journalism course prepared me for life in a demanding work environment and the range of skills that I learned often put me ahead of other candidates when applying for jobs.
Jo

Radio 5 Live
I´ve no regrets at all. The course prepared me properly for my first reporter job. I developed a news sense, learnt how to find a story, write a story, got all the media law training I needed, court and council experience and some broadcast training too.
I didn´t feel at all out of my depth when I joined BBC local radio as a reporter just after I graduated.
That was 2001. I´ve now been at BBC 5 live for four years, working on most programmes and with most presenters. I love it. I´ve been to South Africa to cover the World Cup and was around the country during the general election campaign.
Paul

National newspaper
There was a lot of pressure on me at school to go to Oxbridge and study a more traditional subject. But I was sure I wanted to pursue journalism as a career, and knew Sheffield was the best place for an undergraduate course in the subject, so I knew it would be for me. The course was fantastic, and I developed a wide range of skills across a number of media platforms. Combining this with a large amount of work experience helped to make an impressive CV by the time I graduated. I was offered jobs before I had even sat my final exams and I´m now employed by a national newspaper. If I hadn´t have gone to Sheffield to study journalism, I would simply not be where I am today - and it would have probably taken me much longer to get that elusive first job.
Mark

Transferable skills
I enjoyed what I learned when I was at Uni and it definitely enhanced my English language skills.
In fact, during my English teaching career so far, I have actually taught units about newspaper articles so the transferable skills I gained from my degree have certainly benefitted me in my new career.
Lutfur

Real journalism
I definitely learnt some invaluable skills throughout my time at Sheffield. I am now a primary school teacher in London and some of the kids I work with are extremely difficult. Without my communication skills developed throughout my degree I honestly don´t think I would have the confidence to stand in front of 30 ten-year-olds every day and teach them the ways of the world. And to top it off, I have just finished teaching a unit in literacy on Journalistic Writing so I was able to dig up the old notes and show them some real journalism (even a bit of shorthand) which they really enjoyed. I´ll send them your way when I´m done with them.
Fabienne

No regrets
I did fear for the course with this increase in tuition fees. When you can do an NCTJ course without going to university, surely anyone committed to becoming a journalist would do that rather than leaving uni with £30k of debt and only the outside chance of a traineeship starting on £15k a year? Don´t regret doing the course, though - but I suppose I´ve followed a fairly routine career path having graduated.
Will

Publishing career
I don´t spend any time regretting doing journalism but if I was deciding again I´d have done English instead. I´m a marketing executive at a book publisher. I´d decided I didn´t want to be a journalist by the time I graduated but some of the practical skills I gained are useful and probably helped me get my job. I write for our website and film our authors and edit the footage and presentation skills and that stuff is useful. I don´t think it was a hindrance for getting into publishing but it´s obviously not the best degree for someone who wants to go into marketing or publishing.
Katie

Passion essential
No degree will ever be able to replicate the pressure and daily grind of a live newsroom and unless you´ve been in one you won´t know if you enjoy it or can handle it. My degree gave me the tools to understand how a newsroom operates and the area of the media I wanted to be a part of – radio sports journalism. But be warned. This is a tough and highly competitive industry with low pay and long hours, I do it because I love it. Unless you have that passion, don´t waste your time.
Sara

Eye for a story
Studying Journalism has definitely been a massive benefit for me throughout my career in television sports production. Always having an eye for a story and then how to tell that story best, no matter what medium or genre you are working in, is a vital skill that many people working in the television industry do not possess. Also, the course gives a real insight into working in the media both through the contacts that can be made and the work experience that can be gained. Without those two things I wouldn´t be doing what I am today.
Dylan

Public relations
I did the degree with every intention of being a journalist. When I moved to London I found it easier to get a job in PR, and I can´t imagine I´ll ever work in journalism now. The degree gave me lots of skills and knowledge in an industry that is largely full of people who aren´t very good at their jobs. I´m currently responsible for media liaison at a major police force and I really enjoy my job. It´s a career I´d recommend, prompted by a degree I´d recommend.
Dave

Charity work
I´m now working for an international charity, based in Johannesburg and covering all of sub-Saharan Africa. My job is to get the media to focus on stories they generally find boring, like people starving in Niger, polio outbreaks in Congo, etc. I enjoy the travelling - Congo and Swaziland on the
agenda. So I would say that I have no regrets at all studying journalism. While I haven´t pursued a journalism career, the qualification has enabled me to work in corporate communications in all manner of sectors (banking, law, property, charity). From a skills perspective, learning how to write well, listen effectively, question intelligently are all areas that anyone working in most fields should have and the journalism course definitely developed them. From a personal perspective I think something quite specific (such as journalism as opposed to media studies) is a much better qualification to have as it´s much less ambiguous, people actually understand what you studied and therefore what skills you might have.
I fear you were looking for something more critical, but I only have
positive things to say I´m afraid.
Faye

Thoroughly engaging
Had a fantastic time at Sheffield and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and variety of the journalism degree. The lecturers were passionate and thoroughly engaging, displaying great knowledge of their subject matter.
I worked for three years as first a news reporter, then a sports writer, relishing both roles thanks to the solid grounding I received at Sheffield. I now work full time as a cricket coach, but the skills acquired on the degree were both relevant and transferable. Working under pressure and to deadlines, taking abbreviated and concise notes (short hand) and simplifying complex information are all parts of the day job - made much simpler thanks to the course content at Sheffield. I am now contributing to my employer´s website as a communications and marketing officer, to complement the practical cricket coaching.
Gareth

Challenging and rewarding
I definitely don´t regret studying journalism.
My current job title is `PR Executive´ at a hospice. My role includes writing press releases about current fundraising activities or interesting patient stories (e.g. this week we had a wedding at the hospice between a patient who had Motor Neurone Disease and can no longer speak and his long term girlfriend) and issuing them to the local press and radio. I also manage the news section of the website, all social networking activity, photography at events, the bi-annual hospice magazine which goes out to over 20,000 supporters, I record adverts for the local radio, regularly interview patients for use in hospice promotional material/press releases and plenty more.
The course has provided me with a lot of transferable skills, many of which I use in this job - e.g. having a knowledge of what journalists want in their newspapers, understanding the pressures of working in the press, knowing what makes a good story, interview skills - particularly learning how to deal with sensitive issues as the patients I interview are terminally ill and their families in various stages of bereavement.
I do think there are an awful lot of skills gained from this degree which would be applicable in any career - communication skills are vital in any industry, being able to communicate with all types of people in all manner of situations is hugely valuable. Skills you need to complete the degree such as coping with very strict and tight deadlines, multitasking, and learning to be successful both working in a team and on your own are all also brilliant.
I could go on. But I won´t. With hindsight I´d definitely do the degree again and recommend it to everyone. Not only was it hugely fun, it was also challenging and rewarding, and has provided me with a huge base of skills to use and strengthen throughout my career.
Clare

Writing for a living
I don´t regret it at all. Totally enjoyed the course and have been writing for a living ever since. I am one of few people that I know that if I had my time over I would choose the same uni, same course. Might work a little harder...but probably not.
Lucy


Highly recommended
I graduated in 2005 and after working internal communications (company presentations, employee engagement, etc) I have now worked for PR consultancies for four years.
As you know there are all sorts of things you learn at uni overall (life skills, etc) but the main thing I got from the course specifically was copywriting - I write copy every single day and constantly refer back to my training. I´ve even passed it on to others. I find it useful whatever I´m writing: features, news, reports, even my CV and covering letter.
Sheffield definitely gave me a great grounding for my chosen career but even if I was doing something completely irrelevant I still think I´d be using the copy writing skills I learned.
Peter

NGO work
Having studied journalism and worked as a journalist was definitely an advantage when I applied for the job I´m in now. I´m working as a communications advisor at an NGO in Norway. In my experience, employers now like experience from multiple disciplines. After journalism I went on to do a Masters in International Relations. I then got a job with a local newspaper in Norway where I worked for two years, moved back to the UK and worked for a local newspaper for two years, and moved to Norway where I´m now working for an NGO, writing for the website and members´ magazine, updating the organisation´s different social media accounts, preparing media strategies, and assisting other staff with talking points. The job allows me to travel quite a bit as the organisation has projects in more than 30 countries, and I get to use my background from journalism both in writing news stories for our website and features for our magazine. It´s also proved very useful to know journalistic thinking when preparing colleagues for media interviews.
Tine


Hands on, interesting and valuable
Four years after graduation, I´m the PR and Communications manager for a global alcoholic drinks business and a freelance copywriter - I know I owe that to my Journalism degree.
I genuinely loved studying journalism, and really felt that I got value for money from all the different areas of study - newspaper journalism, TV, radio and web. Then there´s the politics, media law, shorthand - the list goes on! I especially thought this when I saw friends who were studying sociology basically write essays for three years.
The course was hands-on, interesting and valuable - I know I wouldn´t have got my foot in the door at the company with which I gained my first communications job had I not gained those skills to shout about on my CV.
Julie

Loved the course
I absolutely loved the course and I love my job. I work at Midlands newspaper and have done since I graduated in 2007. I passed my NCE last year.
But with the benefit of hindsight I don´t think I would do journalism now. I think I´d do something more general like English and then train for my NCTJs separately. I think this would open the door to a lot of other jobs if I ever changed my mind about the career path. It was my NCTJs (which were bloody hard to get but I´m glad I got there in the end) and work experience that helped me secure my job. That being said I really did love the course and I don´t know anyone who didn´t, no matter what they´re doing now.
Kerry

Gathering evidence
I´ve no regrets at all about the course. I ended joined the Civil Service and there were definitely transferable skills from the course. The most valuable ones have been sub-editing and the ability to say something concisely, for example when translating complex policy documents into something the public can understand, or when writing briefings for Ministers. I actually teach it as a skill to my staff as I think it´s so important as a Civil Servant.
The other skill that´s less easy to define is the ability to be able to pick up the phone and find something out. For example, if a Minister wants to know how a policy is working on the ground, I´ve got a good idea of how to go about investigating that and gathering some evidence, real life case studies, etc. I think that´s harder than it sounds without the sort of skills we learnt on the course.
Stella

Staff recommendations
My pursuit of a broadcast journalism career nearly took me to Leeds and Nottingham but I chose Sheffield due to the variety of disciplines involved in the Journalism Studies course, and the potential future options it might bring. That turned out to be a great decision and the skills I learnt in my three years contributed significantly to my two current jobs; working as a Corporate Communications Officer at a large police force during the week, and as a sports reporter for BBC local radio at weekends and some weeknights.
Now working mainly in PR, the writing skills offered on the undergraduate course have been essential in writing copy for media releases, internal publications, websites and more. Learning the working practices and thought processes of journalists has also given me the edge over colleagues when liaising with reporters, and getting my releases used by the media.
In terms of my radio work, I´m now in my sixth year working on the sports team, mainly as a football reporter and commentator but also as a broadcast assistant reading and writing bulletins. The news days on the Journalism Studies course gave me invaluable `real life´ experience and if it wasn´t for staff recommendations to the radio station, I probably wouldn´t have got the job.
Adam


Sugar features editor
The Sheffield University Journalism degree helped me become Features Editor at Sugar, assisting me in nabbing all the other magazine jobs I´ve done previously.
It is a course respected by editors on national magazines and newspapers, and is always picked up on, in a good way, in job interviews. The skills you learn give you a massive head start and the lecturers also tell you how it is, i.e. what to expect when you start working on a national title. Their honesty and experience is the most valuable thing of all.
Carly

Outdated snobbishness
Studying journalism is the reason I have been able to get every job in my career so far - I entered a developing market where decent reporting and editing skills were in short supply, and all my employers recognised my journalism degree as a guarantee of clear and accurate writing.
However, I have found a degree of outdated snobbishness still exists with regards to journalism degrees. It is - sometimes - professionally regarded as a shortcut and you aren´t viewed as having `paid your dues´ despite having the same NCTJ qualifications a junior reporter would have gained. Despite this, I would not, with hindsight, change my choice of course. The skills I acquired more than prepared me for my career in magazine journalism in spite of the opinions held by some. This is mainly due to the strong practical aspect of Sheffield´s Journalism Studies course. And once you have the press clippings and professional experience to prove otherwise this has little consequence in the workplace.
Rachel

Political researcher
I have to admit that there are times when I do regret doing the journalism course, but this is in no way because of the content or the quality of the course.
I currently work as a researcher for a politician and I have found the skills I gained from the course incredibly useful, whether it be composing press releases, talking to public figures or interacting with the general public.
I think one of the reasons I was chosen for the job was because I hadn´t done a politics degree like every other applicant and could therefore bring a different aspect to my job.
I do intend eventually to work in the media but anyone who is doing the course or considering it and is worrying about not being able to go into different industries need not worry. The reality is that a degree opens a lot of doors and if you have the right attitude and a willingness to work you can do anything - no matter what. Obviously, though, if you want to be a doctor, a journalism degree isn´t your best bet.
Chris

Risky business
While I had some good times, I wish with hindsight I´d done a degree that many would argue is vague, even pointless - the Philosophies, Theologies of the world. I could at least have had some decent arguments in seminars, something closer to a real uni experience - or at least what I thought was one. While the course was rigorous and demanding on a certain level, I don´t think it´s right for those of a more bookish tilt. To point yourself academically at journalism is a bit of a risky business. If you change your mind mid-way you can find it´s a tag that sticks you in a series of banal PR jobs for a living, while you eke out your remaining time trying to write a book, train to work with kids, sing songs, or even plough the stand-up comedy circuit, as I know some journo graduates have. That said, Teeline shorthand knowledge is always a good conversation starter. And an insight into the sometimes terrifying life of the provincial reporter provides you with great development of the capacity for empathy.
Gareth

Biomedical scientist
I don´t regret studying journalism but in hindsight I wouldn´t do the course again! I really enjoyed the three years at Sheffield but for me the reality of the media world hit me hard and I realised it wasn´t an industry I wanted to be a part of.
I am now working in a virology laboratory in a hospital and am one year away from finishing my BSc in order to become a biomedical scientist. I guess the transferable skills I could include are being accurate, having a keen eye for detail, and I appreciate my writing skills when I have to write-up audits! One skill I´m really pleased to have is shorthand, though unfortunately I don´t get to use if that often!
Jenny

Alumni network
Journalism may not be my main focus as a radio presenter these days but I don´t regret a minute of my studies.
The course at Sheffield and the university´s non-academic student media facilities give you a fantastic grounding to branch out into many areas you might not have considered (like PR, radio presenting, or being an author).
You get to learn from some of the best and to forge links with some very well respected companies and unions.
And the alumni network is a fantastic resource that supports you for years afterwards.
Sophie

Tight deadlines
I applied for, took and graduated in journalism without ever intending to become a journalist. I wanted to work in press relations (corporate and politics) and that is what I now do. I am at a huge advantage to my colleagues, many of whom are Oxbridge-educated English/history/PPE grads, when it comes to writing for the media. Understanding copy and what journalists are looking for is not something you learn from studying politics or history. My copy requires only gentle subbing as opposed to colleagues who require the razor treatment. Being able to edit 1000 down to 200 and making every word earn its place on the page is a skill that has helped me in every stage of my career.
The course taught me to understand language and to work to incredibly tight deadlines - most importantly it taught me to be able to accept criticism. I genuinely believe that I am two steps further along in my career than i would have been at 27 if I had taken a more traditional course.
Having worked for an NGO as a press and advocacy officer and as a media handler to an MP, I am currently a director in an independent public affairs agency.
David

Confident and competent
I was warned by almost everyone – teachers, parents, peers – that a journalism degree would be a waste of time and I´d be better off reading a "more traditional" subject, but I stuck to my guns and have never regretted my decision. I was well ahead of the game when I started my first journalism job, far more confident and competent than I believe I´d have been coming from a course in English, politics or whatever. I´ve now made the move into the murky world of PR, but I loved my years as a print journalist and still really feel that my career options are far-reaching - largely thanks to the skills I learnt at Sheffield.
Sally

Brilliant course
I have never for a minute regretted studying journalism at Sheffield. It was a brilliant course that taught me useful skills through practical, hands-on experiences across a broad range of media. The course gives confidence by throwing you in at the deep end and challenging you which has benefitted me throughout my career.
I don´t work as a journalist but manage Communications and Media for the Conran Group all over the world, dealing with journalists and editors on a daily basis. Believe it or not, I still use many of the skills, lessons and tricks learned from the excellent professors at Sheffield to this day, over ten years since I graduated.
Matthew

Breaking stories
My degree in journalism has been an immeasurable help to my career. Without shorthand and my NCTJs I would never have got my first job, in which I spent three very happy years at a weekly paper where one of my tutor´s tips ("you never get a good piece off someone who comes into reception with `a great front page´ story") was proven true. I broke major national news stories, covered some very gruesome murder trials, exposed corruption, and kept a watchful eye on the council, the police, the NHS and more. I wouldn´t have had the first clue how to do any of that without the practical skills I learned during my degree.
Following that I moved into PR and communications, an industry that lends itself very well to the skills I had from journalism. Once again, shorthand is of huge importance in this role, and I use my contact building, interviewing, copy writing, editing and production techniques every day.

Practical skills
Journalism Studies is the course for anyone who wants to learn how to do something, not learn about the theory of how to do it. The things you´ll learn during your time there will put you in good stead for almost any career.
Joanna

Assured on the telephone
I got a job with a TV production company straight after graduating because they valued my ability to pick up the phone and not rely on Google and email. Without the experience of chasing contacts throughout the course, I would not have been as assured as I am now when it comes to cold-calling potential contributors.
Michael

Industry shrinking
I don´t regret it at all. Given that I now owe more on my student loan than I ever borrowed, I´m glad I did a course that actually equipped me directly for a profession. But I do think the issue of transferable skills is an important one, because journalism courses are growing at the same time as the industry is shrinking. I would be amazed if I´m lucky enough to be doing this for too many more years (months, even).
There´s very little on the course that I think isn´t somehow relevant to other professions. Communication skills, diligence in research and attention to detail, an ability to build (even fleeting) working relationships with people with whom you share little or no common ground, dealing with individuals and organisations large and small...and people shouldn´t underestimate how much confidence those things give you. In the first year I feared my career (in anything) would be scuppered by my paralysing fear of most people, but I got over it.
Georgina

Good backgrounder
I´m happy I did the course, and am still working as a journalist (albeit in the most soft cock field of the genre imaginable outside the fashion pages). However, I think people should go into it with open eyes. It´ll no more make you a successful journalist than taking driving lessons will make you a good driver. The course is good as a backgrounder, gives you a lot of the training you need and opens your eyes to the broader world of the media. But it alone isn´t a one way ticket to a well paid column on The Times - there´s needs to be something more, and not everyone either has it or is prepared to work to get it. I´m guessing that half of my year at most are still working as journalists, and I´m not sure why this is - but mainly, I suspect, because the money was a lot better elsewhere and the harsh realities of local newspaper "churnalism" dishearten all but the coldest soul.
David

Colour pieces
Once starting work up on my little (Nordic) island, some of the things I learnt were ´too foreign´. But altogether it was a great experience in working and thinking as a journalist. Today I still think back to the course. I am now for instance using my skills in colour pieces to write up some interviews related to my M.A. thesis in folklore. So despite all the court reports plus the (court) ushers, the digging up stories from dead end Beauchief and then having to pretend do the layout I am now, almost five years later, most pleased with the department and the course!
Maria

Interviewing techniques
As an ex-Press Officer and now an Internal Comms Officer, studying Journalism was really useful to my career. I use the skills I learnt at Sheffield everyday; general communication skills, recognising what is a good story, written communication skills and also the broadcast skills. Also interviewing techniques have been really handy, as well as shorthand (bankers get nervous when a dictaphone is produced). I also think the degree is a great talking point. Where I work there are quite a few ex-journalists. Without studying Journalism at Sheffield I would not have got my job initially as a Press Officer and then as an Internal Communications officer.
Gem

Redundancy trauma
I don´t regret journalism one bit and I loved my course but I think I´m one of lucky ones who still has a job. Since leaving Sheffield I´ve gone through three rounds of redundancies (including one where my paper closed and I was moved to where I am now) and many of my friends now can´t get back into journalism. There are also a lot of talented people off our course going into PR. I think that says quite a lot.
With the benefit of hindsight I might not have done a degree, choosing instead an NCTJ short course - doing it that way would have cost a lot less money! Having said that you also do the degree for the life experience, which for me was invaluable.
I would impress on the girls that they are not going to walk immediately into a career at Elle or Vogue (as many girls on our course - no names of course - did). In fact they´ll probably never work there! And they will have to work incredibly hard just to keep a job, working long hours for no money and with very few staff to work with. But at the end of the day, if I didn´t love it I wouldn´t still be doing it!
Amy

United Nations
Never regretted it for a moment although I didn´t strictly work as a journalist very much. The course has never come in more handy than when navigating my way through the long corridors of the United Nations.
Anna

Go with your instincts
I´ve been a sub editor at Sky Sports News (effectively an assistant producer) for six years, following five and a half years as a news reporter on local/regional papers. My 18-year-old self would probably cringe at this, but BSkyB/Murdoch are really good employers (certainly far better than any local newspaper group). I do reasonable hours for a decent wage and am happy with my work-home life balance. Plus I get to watch sport most of the day.
Do I regret studying journalism? No. I enjoyed the course a lot, made some good friends and met my wife in Sheffield.
Do I feel the course helped me get where I am? Probably not very much to be honest. The degree and the NCTJ prelims might have helped slightly with securing my first job on the Exeter Express & Echo, although I suspect the willingness to work very long hours for £9k a year was more important.
Things might have changed, but I found the NCTJ exams very dated (collating garden show results?!) and I believe they exist mainly as a means of keeping `trainee´ reporters´ salaries low. The shorthand was useful for court reporting though.
The media industry has changed an awful lot since I graduated (there wasn´t even Google then!) and there are far fewer jobs in newspapers - which is where I envisaged working when I started out. Many people I worked alongside have given up journalism entirely or moved into PR because the money is so dreadful. Had I thought there was a possibility I´d end up as a local government press officer, I wouldn´t have picked journalism in the first place. Thankfully, that hasn´t come to pass yet.
Several times over the years, I´ve considered a career change into something more (shall we say) spiritually fulfilling such as teaching. And the problem with having studied journalism, as opposed to a more traditional/academic subject, is that this option is not really open to me. So for this reason, I would tend to advise against other would-be journalists taking a three-year degree and suggest they study languages maybe. All things being equal, if I´d had my time again, I might have studied law. But, as I said at the outset, I don´t regret my decision at all. And I would hope any budding hacks would have the wherewithal to ignore any advice from me and go with their instincts anyway!
Steve

Motor sport PR
I certainly don´t regret studying journalism and if I had the choice all over again, I would definitely take the same course. There is no way I would have been given the opportunity at the Press Association without my journalism degree from Sheffield, and I add the location because our university was well respected by PA and that counted for a lot. The skills I learned studying journalism were extremely useful during my career as a journalist but I must say I was regularly shocked by how amateur plenty of newcomers to the profession are. The skills I learned in terms of structuring a story and spotting the interesting angle were extremely useful.
I am responsible for PR and marketing for a leading motor sport team having spent three years in a similar post in Formula 1. I have heard several times by people offering me jobs that they need people who `know what journalists want´. This appears to be something of a mystery outside of journalism itself and is certainly a valuable skill which can transfer easily into PR - PR people often have little clue about this and some have a frankly hilarious misunderstanding of journalism.
Alastair

No fame and fortune
I really enjoyed my journalism degree; it was the right choice for me. I am the editor of a sector-specific news website, but am still paid under £20k and strapped to the desk most of the time. Local newspapers are lots of fun, and press office and communications work is well paid, but I am yet to find a journalism job that is both well paid and enjoyable. That doesn´t mean such a job is not out there but you must throw away expectations of anything but the naked act of finding and writing the news as a result of this qualification. If you want fame and fortune, look elsewhere, but if you want to be a journalist then Sheffield will get you there.
Joel

Better than sociology
Don´t regret studying journalism as it was really fun, but now find myself a bit stuck with what to do having had second thoughts about wanting to become a journo. Looking for something related to work in but having trouble thinking of what to do with the degree I have. Better than sociology, I guess!
Kim

PR move
I am so pleased that I studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield. I love that it delivers vocational learning, teaching students many useful skills that can actually be used in the work place. I often already felt like a journalist during the course as we had to do, for example, court reporting, interviews, attend council meetings and take part in broadcast news days. The journalism department also gives current and past students access to job interviews that are available and encourages current students to take on jobs and work experience during their studies. I think this is so important, especially during the current economic climate. I actually got my first job thanks to the journalism department, working in healthcare PR for over two years and it was a fantastic first `proper´ job. I remain working in PR and use many of the skills learnt in my degree. What has been a challenge at times is getting my head around marketing and business thinking, often linked to PR. At times I do miss journalism, especially feature writing and court reporting, but if I´m going to be completely honest I was put off by the poor salary. Especially moving down to expensive London, I just couldn´t live properly if I was on a local newspaper wage. I do a little bit of freelancing writing now and again still though and hope to return to journalism full time when I´m older, hopefully in a more comfortable financial position.
Stephanie

Music programming
I graduated with a BA in 2006 and took a job with an independent radio
production company, for which I still work. I´m now a producer making
programmes for national BBC networks like Radio 2 and Radio 4.
Although most of what I make is music programming, I have never
regretted studying journalism at Sheffield. The course´s academic
elements gave me a good understanding of the British media and its
vocational elements gave me the confidence to get stuck in. Provided
you combine the course with as much work experience as waking hours
allow, I think you can be pretty confident of securing a decent job on
graduation. Also, Sheffield is great; like many graduates, I still
live here.
Jon

Estate agent
Not for a minute do I regret studying journalism, I just wish I had worked harder at it. I wish I had tried harder to elevate myself into that black polo-necked world of skinny media types commissioning documentaries that were all my idea in the first place! I would not and could not have studied anything else. I should have known that it was too enjoyable to study and would never work out in reality. I do write quite a bit, but I do it in secret as I´m not sure how good I am. I´m an estate agent but just set up two marketing companies and had another baby in Dublin. I should have kept knocking on doors when I graduated and moved to London. But I was too old and cynical and didn´t really fancy all them Southerners!
I forgot to say I had a wine column for four years in a local newspaper with 100,000 circulation.
Ciara

Effective communication
I have no regrets undertaking my journalism degree - I really enjoyed and it put me in good stead for the job I do now. I finished my journalism degree at Sheffield in 2000 and went on to work as a sub-editor for the sports desk of The Press Association. Would I take that degree again? Without a shadow of doubt, yes, I would. The degree gave me excellent hands-on experience and confidence to work in new and proactive ways in the real world that have since aided me with my career outside of journalism in a fairly well-paid role as a qualified Information Specialist with a MSc - which again was aided by my skill set gained in the journalism department. The skills I learned from my journalism degree allowed me to tackle problems head on with greater abilities and confidence than I thought I had. It not only taught me how to get a message across, verbally, textually and visually, but how to understand the key points in a story or concept. I think the ability to communicate effectively has never been needed more in so many roles inside our outside of the journalism path, and my degree at Sheffield massively helped me achieve this.
Andy

Vital attributes
I certainly don´t regret studying journalism at all. I absolutely loved my three years on the course. It gave me a grounding in a variety of journalistic disciplines and, unlike a number of `academic´ courses, was immensely enjoyable yet equally challenging throughout.
At the end of the day, we graduate with a level of communication skills, or hermeneutic skills as you like to call them, better than any other graduates in the country. That is obviously a vital attribute upon which employers lay great importance. So the skills gained on the course are certainly transferable to other industries as I´m sure previous graduates have proven.
The course developed me no end as a writer and enhanced my desire to make a living out of my ability to communicate. I´m just unsure how exactly I wish to do this. Local news, the obvious choice for instance, doesn´t really appeal to me. So I´m just taking this year to work it out.
Tim

Multimedia skills
I have absolutely no regrets in studying journalism. I now work as a reporter for two newspapers in Cambridgeshire - covering everything from court and council to sport - but I´m looking to branch into broadcast journalism. The comprehensive practical training provided by experienced journalists was vital in improving job options after leaving university. As a trained multimedia journalist I felt able to apply for a variety of roles on a variety of platforms. As well as teaching all the skills needed for a career in journalism it taught me valuable lessons applicable to other careers - the importance of accuracy, how to tactfully interact with people from very different backgrounds and, perhaps most importantly, the experience of trying to get ahead in a ruthlessly competitive environment. While applying for university I was torn between reading English Literature or taking journalism. From the very early stages of the course I knew I had made the right choice because I was learning specific career skills rather than learning for the sake of exam results. The course gave me all the advice and training that I needed to become a journalist in print, radio or television.
Rob

Combining theory and practice
I currently work as a Communications Manager for the Department for Education and, although I am not a journalist, there is not a day goes by when I do not make use of the skills and knowledge I gained during my degree. Journalism Studies is such a varied course that it gives you an extremely firm grounding for any writing or public facing career. During my time on the course I learnt to adapt my style to fit a wide range of publications, interviewed people from all walks of life, gained the ability to edit accurately and picked up design skills. As well as the journalism focussed abilities, the course ensures that you develop more general abilities like being able to meet deadlines, be organised and work within a team which are needed in every job.
There are very few courses that combine theoretical study, practical experience and professional qualifications but Journalism Studies does just that. If you want a degree that is more than just sitting in lecture theatres and reading endless books then Journalism Studies is ideal for you. The fact that the course is quite hands-on makes its graduates desirable to employers because it shows that you are versatile and can get stuck in any task straight away.
Journalism Studies also has a lot to offer beyond the highly-regarded qualification and professional skills. The tutors are extremely knowledgeable and dedicated, there´s only about 60 people per year so you get to know everyone and you´re able to shape the assignments to fit your interests therefore the work is very enjoyable. I loved this course and I know it has stood me in very good for the rest of my career.
Eleanor

Communications job
Do I regret doing Journalism? I love it. I decided to leave TV and move into disaster management but I hated it so I got given a communications job with the same charity for emergencies and disasters. Perfect. I get to make short films about poor people and hangout with these muscle men who like saving children´s lives. I´m still so deep.
Lynsey

Good grounding
I don´t regret the degree at all, it´s one of the best in the country and it really gave me a broad understanding and grounding for a future career in journalism. Looking at some of my friends who didn´t go to uni and now earn 40 grand a year, maybe working my way up from the bottom could have been a better financial decision. But at the same time I didn´t know a recession would hit! Plus I always knew I wanted to do journalism at Sheffield. The degree isn´t for those who don´t know what to do, so fancy trying it because it sounds fun, because unless you are enthusiastic your work will suffer.
Regarding skills - confidence, listening to others, grammar and spelling, keeping track of events, being organised, learning to give and take as part of a team, realising the media is now all about agendas so don´t expect to be saving the world and scooping amazing exclusives that don´t involve celebrities and sex.
Rachel

Newsroom activity
I don´t regret taking Journalism - no way! I honestly think it was the best course I could have picked and I enjoyed it immensely. I think the mix of teaching time and newsroom-based activity was perfect - most people I know on other courses did a few lectures then sat around most of the day or used the library alone. On our course we got to have a base where we could mix with the older degree students and the postgraduates, and gain the benefit of their experience as well as the teaching and support staff. Having all the facilities on hand was great and really got you into the mindset that uni was a `working day´ rather than a few hours study.

Massive skill set
The degree gave me such a massive skill set that all of my employers have found invaluable - from temping to my career in construction, it´s all been invaluable.
In construction, I prepared tenders and did contract buying. Now I work in planning, based on site and administering the whole programme of works. I am acting as a media advisor, too - I´ve just rewritten the corporate website, done a script and storyboard for the new corporate DVD and I´ve resurrected the company newsletter.
I went into the degree with the strong ambition to be a journalist. I think my reasons for not pursuing it are threefold. First, the abysmal wages and the fact that you had to slog your guts out for years before getting any recognition. Secondly, I became a bit jaded. Lastly, if I had known that construction management was so much fun and I probably would have got into it sooner.
Kate

Marketing manager
I enjoyed studying journalism, but knew in my first year that I didn´t want to be a journalist. I still love reading and writing, and I enjoy the news, but don´t envy those who write/film/edit it!
After I left university I wanted to do something that used the skills I´d acquired but in a different way. I am now marketing manager at a software company. I joined the company eight weeks ago as an adminstrator, but once they saw how quickly I picked up the information and how keen I was to get writing again, I received my promotion really quickly. Now I get to play a key role in how the company is marketed to the world. It´s really, really exciting.
Journalism doesn´t have to be a stepping stone to writing for newspapers and magazines: it´s been an absolutely brilliant way for me to find jobs that people don´t often associate with the course. Typically, businesses would employ a Business or Marketing graduate to do this job, but because I have the writing knowledge and experience from your course, it was that little additional skill that pushed me above other candidates. My organisational skills and the ability to work to tight deadlines also comes in very useful.
Lesley

NHS press officer
Earlier this year I bailed out of journalism to be a press officer in the NHS. It was and still is a hard decision for me as I loved being a journalist with a passion, but after two years for a national news organisation covering the entire South West, sometimes single-handed, I thought I´d get a real job. I worked on two dailies before and the constant redundancy rounds makes it difficult to see how you can build a stable life as a reporter. I wouldn´t go so far as to say I regret studying journalism because I´ve had some great opportunities in my career, but I do feel that studying something else would still have enabled me to get a job on a newspaper and perhaps still have another career choice to fall back on. Sadly, I don´t think that a career as a traditional news reporter is one for life any more.
Aleisha

Press gang dreams
I chose journalism because I had wanted to be `a journalist´ since my late primary school years. Blame the television series, Press Gang, for that. I wanted the course to learn how to write properly, experience different types of journalism and ultimately get me a decent job. I wouldn´t have done any other course because, frankly, I didn´t have the interest in anything else.
There are plenty of positives to the course but the two things the most relevant to me at present, three and a half years after graduating, is the variety. I always wanted to be a writer and landed a job a month after graduating working for a PR company staffed by journalists and its sister company, a football news agency. In terms of writing standards, the things I had learnt at Sheffield meant I could hit the ground running and impress. We had plenty of work experience students and even new graduates from other journalism, writing and PR courses and none had the standards I was used to seeing from the Sheffield grads. I left that job a few months back to move into broadcast journalism which is something I would have never predicted - and without the variety the Sheffield course offers, it would not have been possible.
The journalism market is flooded with plenty of good and bad disgruntled, unemployed or graduate writers. Jobs aren´t easy to come by, the pay is poor and it´s not worth the stress unless you have a genuine passion for media. I´m not sure whether it is worth the inflated degree costs. But if you are going to study journalism, there´s no where better than at Sheffield.
Dan