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Miss Woods’s Career of the Month – February – an introduction to media,
journalism and photography
No matter what your opinions are on the media, it is undeniable that there are a lot of jobs and
opportunities fashioned from its existence. You may dream of one day presenting the BBC news,
having your name in print on a thought-provoking article or of seeing your photographs in a best-
selling magazine.
Working for the media in general covers a lot of different job roles, including: television
broadcasting, directing, producing, researching, writing, technician roles/camera operating, radio,
illustration and animation, publishing, internet/social media, film, scriptwriting/creative writing,
music, photography and journalism.
Getting into any of these job roles will require determination and strength of character, as
competition for places is high and you will need to be able to produce a good portfolio of work
alongside any qualifications required. Generally speaking, you will need a minimum of A-level
qualifications, and personal qualities are very important as well. You will need to be confident,
enthusiastic, and able to take criticism and build relationships. Many more applicants today have
degrees, so this is something to consider for the future. If you want to specialise, for example going
into science journalism or writing, you would be expected to have a degree in this field. Useful
subjects to take at A-Level include English language or literature, media, sociology, psychology,
maths or art & design/photography.
Working in the media covers a broad range of different jobs, is highly competitive and demanding,
but it is a popular career choice for many. You will need to be able to produce a portfolio of your
work on demand to demonstrate your skills.
A journalist is someone who gathers, writes, or distributes news or other current affairs, and may be
general or specialist (such as sports or politics). Most journalists will end up specialising in one area.
If you wish to specialise in an area such as science, you will need a degree to back this up. For those
who wish to specialise in area’s such as fashion, a related degree may be useful, but it would also be
possible to break into this area as long as you have relevant work experience and a drive to work in
that industry.
Photographers often work freelance (self-employed) and are then hired by different clients for
specific work. Professional photographers may be hired by a company and work full time in a studio
or similar setting. Working in photography gives you many opportunities for part-time and flexible
working. Photography covers many different areas – including portrait, wedding, sport, fashion and
photojournalism (photographing for publication or broadcast to illustrate a story).
Media studies and photography are often popular choices for both GCSE and A-Levels and they can
both lead onto further study and employment. Whilst a GCSE in media studies will not mean you can
leave school straight away and become a television broadcaster, it will introduce you to the media
industries and new technologies developing all the time. Equally, a GCSE in photography will not
mean you are automatically a professional photographer, but it will introduce you to different
techniques, editing skills and will teach you to evaluate and develop your work. For each subject it is
important to remember that they are not easy options and both require the same amount of hard
work and dedication as other subjects (if not more in the case of photography!).
Some useful links:
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/media-and-internet/overview-
of-the-media-and-internet-sector-in-the-uk
http://careerssearch.bbc.co.uk/
https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/performing-arts-broadcast-and-media
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/photographer
http://womeninjournalism.co.uk/