Kirstie's job log: 36

The story so far... Kirstie gave up her job in sales to pursue her dream of a career in journalism with a Masters at Westminster University.

Dancing in the streets 

It’s the New Year: Happy 2009 everyone! The past few weeks have been nothing but mince pies, Christmas pudding, chocolates, alcohol, roast turkey and sprouts (though I never eat the sprouts!).

New Year’s Eve was spent in London on the Embankment: the first time that I have seen the fireworks in London for real and not on the television. It was a freezing cold night and even the vast quantities of alcohol that I drank did nothing to warm me up. We resorted to dancing in the street to the sounds of Radio 1.

The fireworks were amazing, though they seemed a little smaller than they did last year. Possibly cutting back because of the credit crunch?! Afterwards began the fight to get back to the tube station before everyone else did, a fight that did not work in our favour. At one point we were so squashed in the crowd I was literally being carried along!

Time’s running out

Do you ever get the nagging feeling that you really should be doing something boring and worthwhile, but you’re too busy procrastinating to take any notice? It’s been three weeks of relaxing and eating; but now there are only a few days until school starts up again and the homework I’ve been ignoring is building up.

I have a media law exam on the first day back after Christmas, and if I pass it then I am officially considered to be a qualified journalist. However, in order to pass it I think I am expected not to look through my thick and dull-looking books at least once, but to actually take in some of the information.

It’s quite frightening to think that I will have to sit down and take an exam: something I haven’t done for nearly three years. It’s even more frightening to think that if I took the test now, there’s no chance that I would pass. It’s time for some major cramming to begin!

Blogs backdated

I also wanted to keep on top of my shorthand. I had planned to be very good and get in at least 20 minutes of practice every day of the holidays, as well as attempt to remember some of the rules that are involved. A few days ago I did half-heartedly get out my book and some paper, but my mum put on ‘Love Actually’, so I decided my time could be better spent there instead.

As for my university blog, which I am supposed to have kept regularly up to date over the Christmas break, there is no hope. The last time I wrote was on the 7th December. I have, however, figured out a way to backdate posts, which means sometime before it is marked in January I have to write at least 10 more posts.

It seems a little unfair to be marking someone on a blog, which is after all supposed to be something you enjoy doing and on a topic you enjoy writing about. While I enjoy writing my blog for Prospects, I find that being forced to come up with something interesting to say about news every other day makes it harder than it should be!

Here is the news

The first week back is an assessment week, when we turn our university into an imaginary newsroom. We have to work as a team to put together certain articles, get interviews, update a website, create a newspaper and run a radio news bulletin while all the while being watched by our beady-eyed lecturers who will be marking us as we go.

We were allowed to take home little recorders over the holidays, to try and get some of the work done in advance such as interviews and radio packages. I fully intended on using mine to get some amazing interviews. However, when I realised the battery was flat and I’d need to charge it, it went back in the box and hasn’t come out since.

So now I have a few days in which to catch up on everything that should have and hasn’t yet been done. This means that even though there are some very tempting books sitting in my room that I was given as presents, I am not allowed to start reading them until I can explain in detail the importance in journalism of defamation, copyright, libel and contempt of Court, along with graphic examples, to anyone who asks!

See Kirstie's previous job logs.

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