Anyone done/doing (sports) journalism at uni?

[Vatican Citys No.2 Keeper]

Is it honestly true that both Craig David and Dannii Minogue are the holders of Honorary Doctorates from Solent? Been told that before but just refuse to believe it.

*sigh* yes, they paid £2k for Minogue's ceremony to be held on a ship on the Thames because she was "too busy" to come to Southampton to pick it up pretty certain Craig David only got it because he is from Southampton...no idea who they'll give one to when I graduate next month!

The Uni's crap reputation is probably deserved, but I went there purely because of the course itself in comparison with others. A lot of people at the Uni could have gone to others with higher grade askings and better reputation, but we all chose Solent because as an all-round course it is one of the better ones.

Now here's what I have to say with regard to the Sports Journo courses:

Whilst there are other places further north, Brighton, Solent and Staffordshire were the three I had experience of from open days and can talk about a bit, though Solent in much more detail having just finisher the course.

What I would say when it comes to deciding where you want to study it is which section of journalism are you specifically interested in? If you care less for Radio/TV and want to focus more on the writing side of journalism then Brighton is your best bet due to it's association with the NCTJ...at least that is my understanding, am i right in saying that [MENTION=20659]tycoon0_0[/MENTION] (please correct me if not)?

SJ at Solent is not NCTJ accredited because the course leader feels that there are many units that they would be required to teach that are simply not relevant to Sports Journos. There is the option at the end of the third year to take shorthand and other NCTJ units, but as tycoon says, this will cost you a fair bit. The course at Solent is however accredited by the BJTC - it's broadcasting equivalent.

That is Solent's major strength. There is as much focus on Broadcasting (Radio/TV) as the written side of Journalism on the course at Solent, and it helps that the two main broadcasting lecturers are probably the best lecturers on the course. They know their stuff - as with most of the lecturers they are still working in the industry that they teach - but the important thing is they are very good at being able to pass these skills onto us students. Also helps they are both cracking blokes as well!

You also have units on Web/Magazine as well along with many other options both academic and vocational, but for me the selling point of Solent is the Broadcast element. You can start University wanting to be involved in one sector of the industry, and leave with a completely different idea of where you want to be in the working world.

Staffordshire is similar to Solent, however I would assume they have superior academic teachings with renowned author Ellis Cashmore on the teaching staff. This is the course that teaches the "Beckham Studies" unit. I decided not to have it as first choice for one reason and one reason only...Stoke.

As for general stuff, as others have said it is as important -if not more - that you get your CV full of work experience. This is something the lecturers will help you with by offering you the chance to do so, but it's up to you to get in contact with these contacts at websites, magazines, football clubs etc and do the work. Many employers, the BBC included, hold that above what grade you get.

Few examples of people in my year who have done such. My best mate at Uni worked his arse off writing for various websites, and is now Assistant Editor at Shoot Magazine. Another example is a fellow NSC'er who moved back to Brighton halfway through his last year, got an internship at Albion and now works in the club's media department.

Hope this is not too confusing for you [MENTION=22250]north stand seagull[/MENTION] as I have seemingly spouted this all off in one go and it's likely it will look incoherent, but if you have any questions regarding anything I've said then don't hesitate to PM me! I admit I was one of the many who made the mistake of not getting enough on my CV during my three years, and had I been 18 again now I would have done a lot to rectify that.

My final word on Solent. Yes the University itself is nothing to shout home about, but the Sports Journalism course is one of the best of it's kind in giving you an all round experience in the various sectors of the industry, and is well worth considering!

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Don't expect to make much money though. I follow Simon Price on Twitter, who's a highly respected music journalist at the Independent on Sunday. Hasn't received any kind of pay rise in 10 years and just been asked to take a 25% paycut. Is tweeting that he's seriously thinking of jacking it all in.

Why pay people to be journalists when no-one reads newspapers any more and people will happily sports/music blog for free?

It's true that journalists' pay and prospects are being damaged by the economic pressures on the media, mostly shrinking advertising revenues. I've done okay out of it, as you would expect after 15 years on a national title, but nothing on the scale of bankers or other city boys. And I fear for those trying to get into the business now - it's more competitive than ever, and papers are paying less than they did 20 years ago.

Having said that, I went to a college reunion a couple of years ago, with friends who are now diplomats, senior civil servants and bankers (including a former deputy governor of the Bank of England), all earning much more than I ever have or will. Nobody, as far as I remember, wanted to know anything about interest rates or what was going on at the Department of Trade and Industry - but they all wanted to know what Arsene Wenger was like and whether Ferguson is as much of a twat as he comes across on TV. So if a brilliantly interesting career is more important to you than money, stick with it - it's well worth it.

As for that last question, I think the answer is pretty obvious to anyone who thinks about it - because most journalists who work for established newspapers are paid to know what they're talking about. People who blog for free are under no such obligation.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

And the answers...

Wenger is liked by all journos. He's very witty, answers questions as fully as possible, and gives you the impression he's talking to you personally. Ferguson is hard to like (when he even bothers to turn up to post-match press conferences, with is seldom). He's a bully and gets away with stuff because the football authorities are afraid of him. His contempt for the media is obvious.

 

[north stand seagull]

The fact you need me to elaborate would suggest to me that you would fit in fine.

excellent

 

[Zamora For England]

I have a degree in Sport Journalism from the University of Brighton, completed in 2011.

I'm currently studying for my NCTJ certificate at City College.

My advice would be to ignore the degree and go straight for the NCTJ (it's not post grad, you can get in with A Levels), it's what employers look for.

Admittedly, the degree has given me a big foot up to hit the ground running with my NCTJ but to go on a uni course would be a waste of money.

The NCTJ teaches you everything you need to know, at uni I found I was being taught a lot we didn't really need to know and yet they didn't teach stuff they do at City like subbing etc.

As someone said the SJ course at Uni of Brighton does incorporate the NCTJ but weighing it up, just do the NCTJ!

 

[Mr Banana]

if a brilliantly interesting career is more important to you than money, stick with it - it's well worth it.

C'est vrai. Try to get paid summat if you can. A living allowance for a ridiculous "job".

 

[Storer 68]

As a NCTJ trained ex journalist, the course will teach you everything you need to know technically, but the real skill will be sniffing out a story where no one else thinks one exists.

But the money was rubbish - my first wage was around £2500 a year in 1984. Now I'd be suprised if many of my contemporaries are taking home over £35,000. Oh and posts on national titles are as rare as hens teeth and most hacks slog away their entire career on regional titles (which are closing quicker and morefrequently than at any other time I can remember. I am afraid that the internet and its users unwillnigness to pay for content has ruined their business model, but that's progress.


The starting salary for a trainee reporter is around £15,000, but on a local/regional paper may be as low as £12,000, according to the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) . You can expect rises of £1,500 - £3,000 as you progress through training.
•The average salary for all journalists is £24,500, but there is wide variation between regional and national newspapers. Salaries for journalists with between one to four years' experience are £14,900 to £24,350. For those with five to nine years' experience it is £21,700 to £35,000. With over ten years' experience you can expect a salary starting at £22,000 to £39,000.

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

i'm in my first year at brighton uni doing sports journalism now........in fact i'm avoiding shorthand homework as we speak

 

[Zamora For England]

i'm in my first year at brighton uni doing sports journalism now........in fact i'm avoiding shorthand homework as we speak

Jed, Jacqui and Rob will tell you it is SPORT Journalism, not SPORTS Journalism.

Didn't know they teach shorthand in the first year now - the more the better I suppose!

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

Jed, Jacqui and Rob will tell you it is SPORT Journalism, not SPORTS Journalism.

Didn't know they teach shorthand in the first year now - the more the better I suppose!

sorry!

i've actually already done the nctj at city college, so parts of the degree i'm finding pretty easy.....i've only got 60wpm at shorthand though, so aiming to get 100wpm done this year then concentrate on the other stuff in year 2

 

[north stand seagull]

cheers for the replies guys. was aware that you could get the nctj qualification without going to uni and maybe this would be the best option, i think the whole idea of studying it at university might have been born out a desire to move away from home and get away from being stuck in a part time retail job and not doing much else. as others have touched upon, would it be worth studying a broader subject such as english or history?

 

[SeagullSongs]

Solent isn't a University, it is a disgrace.

This.

 

[Seagull16]

My dad picked up on this thread and told me to check it out, im currently in the middle of applying for the Sport Journalism course at Brighton Uni for next year? What is the difference between that and the NCTJ? Im a bit confused..haha. Which is better?

 

[Firefly]

Nctj National council for the training of journalist.
It's a 20 week course, covering the basics of newspaper writing, media law, short hand and public affairs.
Very few publications will employ you without it.

Uni degree at Brighton includes 3 years of other stuff.

See above posts re what you can earn as a journo. Then work out the costs.
A three year degree to get at low wage job that doesn't require one, doesn't sound like a good idea to me or many other posters on here.

I worked as a journo, loved the job, but hated being poor, . I then moved into PR, great money, but hated the job. Now I have new job and career that I love and it pays well too, and it's nothing to do with journalism