Samera Khatoon – BA (Hons) Journalism with English Literature, 2008

Samera is pictured, centre, at the graduation ceremony in July 2008 alongside major journalism with minor English Literature colleagues Humaira Ashraf, left, and Laura Hazeldine, right.

After months of worrying at university that I would NEVER get into journalism I was lucky enough to secure a job four weeks before graduating. I now work for Staffordshire Newspapers as a news reporter. During my time with the company I have worked on a daily newspaper, the Burton Mail, and I am currently working on a weekly title, the Uttoxeter Advertiser. My job was the result of a four-day work placement. During the placement I was sent to report a court story and a council story which were thanks to the fact that I had secured NCTJ law and had shorthand – a skill that I would advise everyone to develop as soon as they can! It was my performance on these tasks that secured the job. I currently report on community interest stories, court stories and general interest but my speciality is feature writing.

My short-term goals are to achieve at least 100 wpm in shorthand and successfully pass the remaining NCTJ exams – something I wish I had done while I was at uni – and then be successful in the NCE (the NCTJ exams taken when employed). Upon completion of my NCE the world as they say is my oyster. I might focus on developing my subbing and editing skills and work on a news desk or work for a middle eastern or Asian-based news corporation. I haven’t quite decided which of the two I want to do but I know that in journalism it is never too late to develop your skills and move forward.

The best part of the course at Staffordshire University was learning all the skills and the tricks of the trade from people who had learnt them on the front line in news rooms and not from text books. The most memorable part of the course is the second year when you’re no longer new to the game and therefore are encouraged to work from your own initiative. I also enjoyed working on my journalism project – which was stressful! – because it allowed me to work independently and learn that there are no boundaries in journalism. My journalism project focused on Muslim women to help banish stereotypes surrounding them and featured women from at local, national and international levels. The course at Staffs Uni not only taught me the basics of journalism but also taught me to open my mind and look for all the different resources which I can tap into.