The document outlines the author's personal development plan to become a successful journalist. It discusses three potential pathways: 1) finishing college and searching for jobs, 2) pursuing an apprenticeship with the BBC, and 3) attending university to get a journalism degree. The author analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of each option and decides that university is the best choice. They apply to and get accepted into four universities, ultimately choosing Birmingham City University as their firm choice based on its accredited media and communications course focused on journalism.

1. Personal Development Plan
As mychosencareeris journalism, thereare manypathwaysIcan follow tobecome successful.One
of myoptionwouldbe finishingcollege andstartingtosearchforjob opportunitiesstraightafter.
Thiswouldgive me a chance to get amazingwork experienceswhiletrying parttime jobs for
differentcompanies suchaslocal newspapersormagazines.Cooperatingwithdifferentpeople
wouldhelpme tomake newand useful contactswithinthe industry,andIcouldstart buildasolid
base for myfuture careerin little steps. However,it’sverydifficulttogeta jobofferwithoutany
experience andappropriate higherqualifications. These days,employerslookfornotonlyenergetic
and enthusiasticyoungpeople,butmostlyforthose oneswithdistinctive andinteresting
experience, orspecificknowledge andqualifications.
Anotherideaformynextstepsaftercollege,couldbe findinganinterestingapprenticeship withina
bigcompanylike BBC.They offeramazingapprenticeshipssuch as:‘2-yearapprenticeshiptotrainto
be a Digital Journalist, withadiplomainjournalismatthe endof it.’Thisis aimedat non-graduates
and all youneedto getinare at least5 GCSE’s withMaths andEnglishat a C or above. It’sa great
optionforthose whoare not interestedinuniversitylevel,butpreferto be more focusedona
practical side of the journalismprofession.Whilstthe apprenticeshipIwouldlearnhow tocreate
great contentandprogrammes forTV, Radioand Digital Online;workonthe newestpilotsindigital
mobile journalism;trainandworkwithBBCeditorsandstaff and alsowrite,record,create andreach
out to our audience. Eventhough,apprenticeshipsoundslike the beststartwithinthe media
industry, Iinferredthatitisnot suitable forme. The currentapprenticeshipofferslookforthose
interestedindigital journalism,whichisadifferentdirectionfrommychosensectorof journalism.
Furthermore,unfortunatelyIhave gotonly4 outof 5 GCSE’s whichare neededtobe accepted.
Rejectingtwoabove possible pathwaysof myfuture career,Ihave realizedthatthe bestoptionfor
myself istogo at Universityand geta degree injournalism.Firstof all,Iresearchedthe Universities
inthe UK to knowall the facts on where togo and whatto studybefore applying. Ihada lookat
differentUniversitiesrankingswhere theywere classifiedformthe besttothe worst,lookingatthe
qualityof the institutionoverallandsatisfactionof the studentsonaspecificcourse aswell astheir
employabilityafterwards.

2. Whenmakinga decisiononthe UniversityIamgoingto applyfor,I lookedatdifferentfactorssuch
as:
 The distance formy home town
 The positioninthe ranking
 The percentage of employabilityafterthe University
 Descriptionof acourse
Aftera deepresearch,Ihave decidedtoapplyfor4 differentUniversities:
 BirminghamCityUniversity
 Cardiff University
 SouthamptonUniversity
 Universityof SouthWales
I receivedoffersforall of the UnisI have appliedforbutin the endI decidedtoputUniversityof
SouthWalesas my insurance choice and BirminghamCityUniversityandmyfirmchoice andfinal
decision.Thishighereducationinstitution offersagreatmediaandcommunication course specified
to journalismaccreditedbyCreative Skillset.Theyensure theirstudentsto be ‘educatedandled
straightto the journalisticworldbyprofessional,and respectedjournalists,includingseniorlecturer
Ross Hawkes,wholedTrinityMirror'sdigital programme inthe Midlands,andPaul Bradshaw,one of
the leadingfiguresindigitaljournalismandfounderof the Online JournalismBlog’.Throughoutthe
three yearsof studyinghowto ‘follow acareerinthe dynamicand competitive worldof journalism,’
I will enhance mywritingandpresentingskillsby‘undertaking meaningful workexperience
placementsinmediaenvironmentsandworkingonlive stories,learninghow tocrafta storyina way
that engagesthe audience.’All thisknowledgeandexperience will helpme withmakingmyfirst
stepsintoto the mediasectorwithvaluable contacts.
At the University,Iwill gain newwritingandcommunicationskillswhichare indispensable withinmy
chosenspecialism,butalsoimprove mycurrentskills. Atthe stage of the educationIam currently
at, I alreadygainedsome usefulabilitieswhichIwill be usingfurtherinmylife.Togeta clearpoint
of whatI ismy strong side andwhatI still needtoimprove,Ihave made a short analysisonmy
strengthensandweaknesses.
Strengthens Weaknesses
Creativity Language barrier
Precision Grammar & Spelling
Preferredindividual work Workingina team
Motivated Confidence
Enthusiasm Fit the writing in to the world limit
Persuasive skills Communication
Quickresearching Time management

3.  I thinkthat creativityisdefinitelymystrengthen.Ican easythinkof new storiesandcreate
pagesof writingwithoutabiggereffort.Thisskill will be veryuseful inajobof journalist
whichismost aboutwritingandmakinginterestingstories.However, bigcreativityis
sometimesatrouble.Because Ihave somanythoughtsat the same time and I wantto
include all of the details, fittingintothe worldlimitisabigproblemforme.To solve this
issue andimprove mywritingskillsIcan practice withmyowntextsor withalreadyexisting
pieces,bytryingtotake out the most importantinformationoutof amassive writingand
squeeze themintoashortbut essential article.
 However, to‘release’mycreative thinking, Ineedto be very focusedwhatissometimesa
struggle asI easilygetdistractedbyotherpeople or sounds. The bestresolutionof this
problemwouldbe obviouslyorganising aquietplace formyself towork,butthiswon’tbe
easywhile busylifestyleof aprofessional journalist.Ineedtolearnhow todeal with
surroundingnoisesandtrytoignore them. (Plugininheadphonescouldbe amethodthat
wouldhelpme todeal withnoise.)
 Everywriterneedstoquicklyresearchinformationtheyneed.Duringthe whole college
education,Ihave highlyimprovedmyresearchingskills. Ihave hadplentyopportunitiesto
practice by creatingresearchdocumentsneededforessays.Thishelpedme tofigure outmy
bestand fastestwayof gettingneededinformation.Bynow Ifoundout few useful websites
whichI am familiarwith,andknow whattype of information Icanfind there.I alsosearched
for the methodsof howto recognise fake websitefromtrustworthysources,soIdon’twaste
my time onsearchingthrough notreliable information andavoid givingmisleadingdata.
However,Ifeel more confidentwithresearchingthenitwasonthe beginningof mycourse,
I’mlookingforwardtowidenmyknowledgeandlearnothermethodsof researchat
University.
 Enthusiasmisone of the most importantaspectswhile workingfreelance journalist.Asa
freelancer,Iwon’thave specifiedworkinghourssoitwill be myresponsibilitytokeepmyself
motivatedtoworkand keepaneye ondeadlines whichare significant,somyenthusiasm
will be essential.WheneverI feel encouragedandinvolvedintothe jobI’mdoing,I always
keepbeingpositive.While workingonjobswhichare interestingforme Iam always
determinate andprecise withmywork. However,sometimespeople have todothingsthey
don’tlike andhere iswhere the problemsusuallystarts(especiallywithfreelancers).It’s
goingto be a challenge forme tokeep beingmotivatedandenthusiastic,likealsotomake
sure that I will alwaysgive 100%of myabilities.Ineedtokeeppositivemindandnever
discourage myself;Ihave alreadynoticedthatwheneverIfeel discourage Ikindlyneglectmy
workleavingitto the lastminute andsometimesforgetthe deadline date.Thismustn’t
happenwhenIstart my freelance careerandevenatthe university. Topreventmissing
deadlinesandbecomingpessimisticaboutwork,Ialwaysneedtolookfor advantagesIcan
take from the work,and as well asthe experience Icanuse lateron to become better
journalist.
 The fact that I preferworking individually,isabigadvantage if we are talkingabout
independentfreelance work. Inthe case of organisingandplanningIprefer tocare about
the detailsmyself,thenIdon’tneedtoworry that someone won’tcomplywithrequestsand
responsibilities.Eventhough, I feel betterworkingonmyown,I also don’tmindworkingasa
part of a team. However,because of mylanguage barrier Idon’tfeel very confidentwhile
cooperation withothers.Thismakesme hide some of mycommunicationskills andhinders
expressingandrealisingmyideas.Mylanguage barrieralsoinclude grammarandspelling
difficulties.Thisisahuge issue,especiallywithinthe journalismprofession. Toimprove my
abilitiestowrite andspeakinEnglishcorrectly,Ihave startedto readbooksin English.This

4. helpsme toget more familiarwith constructionof the sentencesandusage of tenses.
Readingalsostimulatesthe imaginationandmakesme more creative andopenminded.
Anothersource Iuse tobetterunderstandgramma,are YouTube tutorialsmade byEnglish
teacher(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVBErcpqaokOf4fI5j73K_w).Thesefree,
internet‘Englishlessons’are designedespeciallyforforeign students, tohelpthembecome
more aware and confidentwiththe language. Toenlarge the range of my vocabulary and
make it more complex,Itryto use synonymdictionaryasoftenaspossible toadvance my
knowledge of the language andmake mywritingpiecesmore sophisticated.However,the
fact that I speaktwolanguagesdoesn’tneedtobe a disadvantage. These days’employers
lookforpeople whospeakseveral languages tomake acommunicationbetweendifferent
countriesandcultureseasier.Asafreelancer,Icould alsocollaborate withPolishtelevision
or magazinesandhelpthemtostay updatedtoeventsandhappeningsinthe UK.
Obviously,universitywon’tguarantee me ajobstraightaftergraduation. Anotheruseful actionI
am definitelygoingtotake are variousof trainingstogetprofessional advicesandbe guide by
highlyexperiencedmembersof the mediasector.
The Federationof EntertainmentUnionsoffersarange of differenttrainingcoursesforjust£25.
I’mmainlyinterested inthree trainingswhichseemtobe the mostaccurate and useful for
freelance journalist:
 Buildingyour own website- thiscourse suitswriterswantingtoshowcase theirwork
and provide informationaboutthemselves.Using afree software - WordPressIwill
choose a template thatI can modifyandwill learnhow touploadmediaandaddextra
functionalityusing‘widgets’. Afterthe course, Iwill be alsoable tofurtherdevelop,
change and modifythe lookof the website usingCascadingStyle Sheets(CSS)andbasic
HyperTextMark-Up Language (HTML).
It isevidentthatthe bestway(notonlyfor writersbutforall people) topromote
yourself,andtoprove yourskillsandabilitiesinthe dayswhenwe all dependform
technology,istocreate yourown place inthe internet.The abilityof designingawebsite
isveryuseful forjournalistandespeciallyfreelancejournalists. Afterthiscourse,Iwill
be able to create my ownwebsite orblogtoshow off my freelance workandgive my
potential employersapoof of writingskillsandcreativity.
 Marketing your work - thisone-daycourse will helpme tobetterunderstandmarketing
and whyit isimportant,itwill give me the knowledgeof keymarketingtools,activities
and skills, includinghowtopromote yourself andyourworkandalsoa better
understandingof howtoidentify,targetandcommunicate withpotential clients.
As a freelancerIwill needtocare about marketing andsellingmywork.Withthe
knowledge whichIwouldgainonthiscourse,I wouldbe well preparedandaware of
howto promote myself.
 Motivationand success – as I mentionedabove,motivationandenthusiasmare key
factors thatwill letme successas a freelancer. BecauseIhave some difficultiestostay
encouragedandkeepthe deadlineswhenIneedtoworkon lessinterestingprojects,
thisone- daycourse wouldgive me few adviceshow canI solve the problem.It aimsto
keepthe freelancersworkinginthe creative mediaindustrymotivatedinthe longterm
and itincludes:
o What ismotivationandwhydo freelancesespeciallyneedtokeepmotivated?
o Goal settingasa way to keepmotivated
o Takingresponsibilityforyoursuccess

5. o Reviewingyourprioritiesandwhatyouwantto achieve
o Settinghighyetrealisticchallengesanddeadlines
o Planningandorganisation
o Findingresources(includingpeersandmentors) thatcanyou keepmotivated.
o Replacingnegativethoughtpatternswithpositive ones
o Uncoveringbarrierstomotivationandsuccess
o Is the recessionareasonto be de-motivated?
o Actionplanto getand stay motivated.
Apart frompayable trainings,The Federationof EntertainmentUnionsalsoprovidesvariousof free
workshopstohelpfreelancersto‘developthe businessingoodtimesandbad’.CreativeProductivity
workshopaimstohelpfreelancersto understandhow theyworkandwhatthey can doto make
betteruse of the limitedtime.Duringthe workshop,Iwouldlearnhow toimprove mytime
management, become more productive,andfeel inmore control,like alsoremovedistractionsand
zoomthroughthe choresof beingfreelance.
Anotherinterestingworkshopthat wouldbe beneficial toattend atisabout BloggingforCreative
Freelances.Ihave alreadythoughtabout beggingmyownadventurewithblogging butitisnot easy
to start. I needanadvice onhow to make a focusedandeffectiveblog.Thisworkshoptendsto learn
the keystepsto quicklycreatingablogand alsohow to regularlyupdate blogsbut,more
importantly,whatthe one canbe used forand how it will become animportantpartof your creative
work.
Moreover, registrationtoboth; The Federationof EntertainmentUnionandNational Unionof
Journalists whoare ‘the voice forjournalistsandjournalism,’and‘representsabroadrange of media
professionals,’wouldgiveme abenefitof free accessingmanyuseful informationaboutfreelancing
withoutevenleavingmyworkplace.These unions providemanyonlinecoursesonforexample:how
to use Google toolsas a journalistor how to marketingyourwork.Unfortunately,Ican’tget more
detailsaboutthese trainingswithoutregistrationwhichispayable andispossible onlywhenyou
alreadyprovide yourownbusiness.

6. However,Ican easyinferthatcourse on how to use google toolsisgoingto be a great opportunity
to improve my IT skillsandabilitytoseamlessly
Apart fromthat,NJU guarantee tax helplineforfreelancesandindependentfinancial advice what
will be veryuseful whenitcomestoorganisingthe budget.Asabeginningfreelancer,Iwill needa
handwithplanningandcoordinatingmyoutgoings,membershipinNational Unionof Journalist
guarantee implementingprofessional advicesandguidelinesonhow toarrange the moneyin
appropriate andwise way.Also,asa freelancer,Iwill needtopaytax on my profitseachyear.Tax
helplineisgoingtobe a great source of informationandhelpif Igetin trouble withfillingthe forms
or struggle withcalculatingmyprofitsandexpanses.
National Council forthe Trainingof Journalistsprovidestrainingongrammarandproof-readingskills
whichcosts £375 plusVAT.Eventhough,the course isn’tcheap,it wouldhelpme withmydifficulties
inwritinginEnglish.Theyofferguidelinesongrammar,spelling,styleandpunctuation,andalsothe
essentialsof goodwritingandproof-reading–whichisthe most importantaspectIneedto improve
if I want to be a journalist. The course alsoincludes 'PlainEnglish'refresherwithgoodpractical
exercisesandfeedbackinthe end,soIcouldget a professional opiniononmycurrentskillsandon
improvementI’ve made duringthe course.Thiswouldgiveme aclearevidence of mypersonal
progress.