I left Pate’s in 2020, to begin my degree in Philosophy at the University of Birmingham – not really knowing what career choice was right for me. I chose a degree that I knew I would enjoy, but that would also leave my options open down the line. I loved the freedom of picking which parts of philosophy to study, and then delving into research around those topics. I found that I loved exploring my chosen topics and producing a piece of work at the end that felt personal.

However, I found academia to be a bit too rigorous – too many rules around the way the work should be structured. I began thinking about which careers would allow me to pursue research on topics I care about, but would also allow me creative freedom over the end product. I needed to combine my academic interests with my creative side. I realised what I was imagining was journalism. Great, I’ve found it! But – how does one become a journalist?

I started writing for Redbrick, the University’s student newspaper. This was great experience and allowed me to try lots of different styles of journalistic writing – working on sports, news, opinion and reviews. Work for which I was nominated for Writer of the Year. This was great fun, and allowed me to narrow down which bits of journalism I was interested in. This also lead to additional opportunities. One of these was to write for the first edition of Voice – a human rights magazine. This saw my work published alongside MPs, academics, and the Birmingham Poet Laureate. For the second edition, I took on the role of Sub-Editor – reviewing and helping with the production of the magazine.

In my final year at University, I began applying for Masters courses – to develop my skills and knowledge of journalism. I found a course based at the University of Salford, studying broadcast journalism. I turned up for my interview and was blown away by the campus – it sits underneath ITV, and next door to three BBC buildings. It has multiple radio and TV studios, as well as the ability to book out cameras, microphones, and other equipment to work on my own projects.

My course started by answering lots of journalism questions: What makes a story? How do you find a story? Who should I interview? How do I secure an interview? How do you interview someone? Then I moved onto the practical side: Making news pieces. This is where I really fell in love with the work.

Starting the course I had never shot/edited anything in my life. This was daunting, but also extremely exciting. Each week we would produce a 15 minute news programme (TV/radio) – learning to, film, edit and produce news packages on stories of our choice. This has given me the opportunity to work on stories that I care about, and make an engaging and creative product at the end. One of these involved spending multiple days with a homeless charity. Seeing the work they do and getting to know some amazing people.

The course (plus lots of networking) has allowed me opportunities to meet and do work experience with amazing people. I have met many people at the BBC up in Salford. I have also completed work experience with ITV, working on a documentary, Global (LBC) working in the newsroom, and Channel 5 News. While at 5 News, I was given lots of opportunities to get stuck in – which is what I did. I got to go out with reporters and sit in on both the gallery and studio while the show was being filmed. I set up and conducted multiple interviews – allowing me to see my work be broadcast on national television for the first time. On my last day I was sent out to report for them.

As a result of this work, I was asked to start with 5 News as a freelance Assistant News Editor. This will be my first paid role in broadcast journalism. After a few years of hard work it is beginning to pay off. Freelancing is something that comes with many challenges, but also lots of opportunities. My aim now is to gather as many freelance roles as possible and break into the industry. There is still lots of hard work ahead, and this is only the beginning. For many people the path to their career will be unclear. For a long time it was for me. I feel privileged to have found work that I love.

Not everyone will be in this boat straight away. So: make the most of every opportunity at university, try everything, try things that make you scared, think about what it is that makes you tick – and if you find it, do not be scared to pursue it.

Important lessons I’ve learnt:

1. Hard work will pay off - Take up as many opportunities as you can and work hard at them. This work will not go unnoticed
2. Try to find work you love - This is not something that is easy to do. Many people may take years to do this (or never). But this should be the aim. I always struggled working hard, found it difficult to find motivation, and found things tough. Finding something I loved changed that. The hard work I mentioned previously does not feel like work – because I love doing it. You won’t enjoy every aspect of your work – but aim to do something you care about. You will be more successful at it
3. Network, network, network - This cannot be stressed enough – particularly in journalism (but I am sure in all fields). Get LinkedIn, and build a network that is specific to what you want to do. I knew no one in the industry when I started. Now when I listen to podcast, see news pieces, or watch documentaries that I like, I try to contact the people who made them. You don’t have to ask too much of people – I will normally ask “do you have 10 minutes for a coffee/chat at some point”. This has lead to me speaking to some amazing people.
4. Re-define rejection - This one leads on nicely from networking – and it might be the most valuable lesson I’ve learnt. Journalism is riddled with what I used to call rejection. I have messaged so many people to interview or network with (sometimes on multiple platforms), who have either never got back to me, or rejected me. But this is not rejection. All they are saying is: “I’m really sorry, I’m busy”, or, “not right now, try again another time”, or, “this isn’t something that’s for me right now”. Don’t be scared to pursue people you want to have a chat with. People are busy, they won’t always reply first time. Don’t overdo it, but two or three messages is fine. This approach, despite leading to lots of rejections, also led to some of the best interviews, chats, and opportunities I have had.

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/telluswhoyouare

https://youtu.be/FH2UgSdlW-w?si=ppxLo6MCfeHkzQXL

Should any parents of current students wish to make contact with Josh, please join to be a Pate's Community member and message Josh through the Mentoring page or look him up on LinkedIn.