10.1: Student Stories

Mpho Khoka

As an honours graduate in BA Communication, specialising in journalism and media studies, I will perpetually be indebted to the teachings I got during my student days - especially during my honours year. These teachings have really helped me in doing the journalism work that I am doing now with ease. I am currently employed as a journalist at the Sowetan newspaper, one of the biggest daily newspapers in South Africa. I do not have a specific beat.

During my honours year, our lecturers taught us how to write different pieces from news stories to features to opinion pieces. They also taught us the basics a news story should have such as a lead or introduction with the 5Ws and H. These teachings assist me during my line of work. I do not struggle when it comes to writing a story because I still use the basic helpful tips I got from my former lecturers.

Before I write a story, I know it should have a lead or an introduction with the 5Ws and H – the ‘Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.’ Whenever I am done gathering information out in the field, before I write my story, I identify the 5Ws and H from the information I put together and then start writing my story.

Similarly, sometimes I write features such as personality profiles and human-interest stories. My lecturers identified the characteristics of a feature for us, whether it was a personality profile or human-interest story. The characteristics they gave us help me when I write features in my current work. I know what kind of descriptions and items should go into the writing of a feature. In a nutshell, the academic advice that my past lecturers gave me when coming to the writing of stories and all sorts of editorial pieces make it easier for me to do my work as a journalist today.

Finally, as a journalism graduate and former student in this discipline, I would be excited to see current students do well in their studies and choose a career that best suits them. One way for students to do well in their studies is through a method which I used myself, to always prepare for their classes or lectures. Prepare for your class. Do not go to your lecture empty minded. Go through the reading work you have, to grasp the meaning before the start of class. This helped me a lot when I was still a student.

In addition, use your talents or skills to help you choose a career that is best for you. Whatever you are passionate about should be what you use as a basis for choosing an occupation suitable for you. For example, if you are passionate about radio, you may fancy being a radio journalist and not a print or newspaper journalist.

That’s my two cents worth. All the best with your studies!

Denise Robertson

Never in my life would I have imagined that Journalism and Media Studies could assist me in building a successful business known as Sublime with Lime (Pty) Ltd. Here I am, with no official business background whatsoever, flourishing and growing towards goals that I never thought were possible – believe Justin Bieber when he says, “never say never!”

The great benefit of owning my own company is that I get to create optimal opportunities for others and authentic journalism helped me to accomplish this. Journalism taught me how to remove my egotistic self from any given situation and adopt a bird’s eye perspective that takes all possible angles into account. The skill of communicating with an audience to inform them in the most ethical and transparent way possible, is the reason why my target audience keeps on coming back.

Not only did journalism aid the process of building a proper brand presence and media following, but it also helped me to build significant relationships with contacts and sources that is further growing my business as we speak.

The ability to overcome anxiety and stress is the most valuable tool that I acquired as a journalism student. If you are reading this, you are probably stressed or worried about your next deadline – but let me tell you a secret: the power is within you to take control of that which you have control over. The power is also within you to accomplish anything you put your mind to. Never limit yourself to become the perceived predictable outcome of Journalism and Media Studies. Yes, South Africa needs ethical journalists to cultivate informed and autonomous citizens. But South Africa also needs courageous journalist mindsets in all industries.

Journalism has been the wildest ride and it keeps on taking me to breath-taking places I could never have imagined. Even if you do not see yourself as a journalist, may the invaluable journalist-mindset follow you wherever you go!

Vonani Ngomana

When I obtained my BA Honours degree in Journalism from Stellenbosch University, I knew then that I did not want to become a journalist. The programme was so excellent at giving us practical and real-life experiences that one did not have to wait until they entered the workforce to decide if being a journalist was for them or not. The programme either confirmed or challenged our career decision because we were not just students that year; we were student journalists.

We experienced the newsroom, we experienced having an editor, we experienced publishing an article with our name on the byline, and we experienced breaking the news.

While my year as a student journalist confirmed that becoming a journalist was not what I wanted, it also opened a world of possibilities that I would have otherwise not known about. I decided that I wanted to travel and write about it instead. My year as a student journalist made me realise that I love telling stories. I wanted to write about the other side of widely visited places that are not shared in the mainstream media. Travelling seemed so far from me as a girl from the township, so I wanted to open that world to people like me too, and that is what I did. For two years I travelled and wrote about it. I went to Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, the United States, to name a few. I fell in love with it. I decided that I wanted to do that until I grew tired of it. That was such a great plan, I thought, but the pandemic happened before I could get tired of it.

When covid-19 became uncontrollable, and countries began closing their borders, I was visiting home but preparing to move to Japan. I waited until I had no choice but to cancel my flight and my plans to continue my travels. It took me several months to accept that I was not going on the path I had set for myself. I started looking for jobs here at home, and the great thing about journalism is that I was not limited to just being a journalist.

I got a job as a content manager for a non-profit organisation. I still contribute to my blog as a passion project. I enjoy my job as a content manager, especially because the organisation’s work is fulfilling. I am so glad that journalism does not teach a set of skills that are only good for one career path. I can do so much with it; the opportunities are endless.