Students see GCU from different perspective through alumni opportunity
A part-time job at GCU has helped two Media and Communications students boost their career prospects.
Third year Clare Monaghan and fourth year Ross Beattie have spent the last few months working with GCU’s Alumni Communications team, providing them with the opportunity to enhance their skills for a career in the media industry.
We sat down with Ross and Clare to find out more about their experience and how it’s benefitted them personally and professionally:
Just to start us off, how did you come to study at GCU?
Ross: “I was a direct entrant from college and started in third year last year. Media has always been a huge part of my life. I’m a mature student, so left school a bit early and travelled about, but a constant through all that was my interest in media so it felt like a natural step. There have definitely been challenges getting back into education but these kind of opportunities are perfect for me.”
Clare: “I previously worked in housekeeping so it was absolutely nothing to do with my course. I’ve always had an interest in social media and knew this was a broad course so figured I would find a specific area I really enjoyed.”
How did you get involved in this opportunity with the GCU Alumni team?
Ross: “An email came through and my first thought was, ‘there’s no way I can get that role’ but I decided I might as well try it. Work experience is so important within the media industry and we’re always encouraged by lecturers to get as much of it as we can. Getting more practical experience was a big priority for me. Thankfully I got the opportunity and progressed through the different stages of the interview process. It was almost too good to be true!”
Clare: “I basically got an email and I was looking through it and just thought it would be good experience to go along with my course. It was strange to be working from a different side of the University but I figured it would be a good way of making the most of my time and also encourage me to study a bit more since I was on campus.”
Tell me a bit more about what you’ve actually been involved in?
Ross: “The role itself is so broad and varied. I’m doing a lot of video production and different interview-type work which is good but it’s also really flexible around what I want to be learning and what I want to get better at. There’s a lot of creativity involved, which is great. I’ve done some event photography and then been through the whole process of researching alumni, getting them on campus for filming and then editing pieces together for the final product. Doing all of this is great for me at this point in my career. We also work very closely with the events team so there is quite a lot of crossover which is nice.
“There’s four of us in the role and we’re all working 10-12 hours each week at times that suit us. Some of us work Monday and Tuesday, some of us work Wednesday and Thursday. I officially started in May and it’s been a rolling contract from there. I’d love to keep going with this job throughout fourth year and see how things progress.
Clare: “Quite a lot of the stuff I’ve been doing involves writing articles for the Inspiring Alumni section of our website. It basically involves me talking to former students who have become successful and sharing their story. I’ve also been involved in social media posts for bigger campaigns like International Nursing Day. There’s a lot of room for us to do what we want but there’s also flexibility there to do what we like.
“I’ve actually really liked writing articles which is something I thought I wouldn’t be as interested in. That’s definitely one of the things I’m better at now and it’s helped me realise I could go into that side of things once I graduate. Coursework can sometimes be a bit daunting but this allows me to practice in a really enjoyable way.”
What’s been your personal highlight?
Ross: “I’m always going to be proudest of the projects I had the most input in. There was some work that I did prior to graduation where I got to put together various testimonies from different graduates. It actually ended up quite touching, which was really nice. I also got to do some photography at the GCU Fashion Showcase, so that was really cool getting to photograph Tessa Hartmann and all the British School of Fashion Board.”
Clare: “We helped out at a tearoom event where former female graduates came along for tea and cake. It was nice to see the different events the University put on and even just taking pictures at it was a nice way to give something back to GCU.”
Looking back on your experience, how grateful are you to get this opportunity?
Ross: “It’s really increased my confidence. As a mature student, I’m coming out of fourth year and potentially competing with people for a job who are five years younger than me, so this has been massively important. For the University to be providing opportunities like this is just fantastic. It’s been so flexible and so focused on what we need and what we can manage.”
Clare: “I think it’s good for me to get experience like this just now rather than rushing in my last year. I hadn’t really thought about doing work experience before but I felt it would be beneficial to do it at the University in an environment like this. I’m hoping to keep it going throughout the year because I can fit it around my studies and then have my weekends to myself.”
By Ross Clark
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter