Case studies: Freelance magazine journalist: Lisa

Lisa graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a BA (Combined Honours) in English and Media. She currently works as a freelance magazine journalist.

After graduating, I started in the industry as an editorial assistant at a regional publishing house, where I had to work unpaid in a full-time position for six months. It paid off as I was offered a salary after this time and promoted to deputy editor. My current work on an in-house publication enables me to balance my family life with the flexibility of freelance work.

My degree was in English with media, so relevant enough. However, the media aspect of my degree was more drama, TV and film-orientated than traditionally journalistic. A typical working day in my current role starts with catching up on emails and responding to enquiries from new clients or messages regarding existing jobs. This means liaising with PRs and press contacts or designers concerning the features I'm producing.

A proportion of my day will be spent actually writing features and my workload is structured according to editorial deadlines.

Since I first began, my experience, in terms of diversification, has evolved in a big way. During my time in the industry, I have written for many publishers across different publications.

My ambition has been to work for myself, to be home-based and produce magazine work and also to cross over into other areas such as marketing, PR and copywriting, both in print and online. I have been lucky enough to achieve this but I want to continue to build on certain areas.

I enjoy my job because I love words and being creative with them, so sometimes my job doesn't feel like a job. I really value the fact that I do something I truly enjoy for a living. I enjoy the freedom of being my own boss and the flexibility that can bring. Also, working in a busy office on deadline day can involve drama, pressure and stresses, and the buzz and sense of satisfaction of getting a magazine off to print is a huge upside.

The most challenging parts of my job are hitting deadlines and meeting sometimes high expectations in terms of juggling a very busy workload/portfolio of magazines. You need to be a born multitasker.

The best thing about working in this sector is knowing that people are entertained by what you have produced. As an editor, that means the feeling of 'ownership' and pride in the titles you produce. Plus, the more-than-occasional perk, e.g. free trips, products to review, meals out, etc., is always a welcome reward.

The advice I would give to others who would like to get into this career is to expect to have to prove your worth. Don't expect your degree to fast track you. Of course it'll be more than beneficial, but the industry is hugely popular and fiercely competitive so prepare yourself for more than a few knock-backs.

There's nothing like hands-on experience and so be prepared to start from intern level to get where you want to be. If you are determined and have a real passion that this is the career for you, you will succeed.