Since September, I would say the biggest change I’ve noticed in myself is an upward swing in confidence. I’ve always been a social person, happy to talk to anyone and make friends where I can, but being a part of the postgraduate student community provides you with a wonderfully diverse new group of students to engage with. I feel I really rose to the challenge of engaging with people from different cultures and backgrounds to myself, and the resulting connections and friendships are the reward.

My Master’s experience has also significantly improved the confidence I hold in my own abilities as I prepare to enter the professional world. I have always been self-critical, and before starting this course I considered myself underqualified and incapable of trying to pursue a career in the media; I focused on all the things I couldn’t do and considered everyone else to be a better candidate for any of the roles I would be interested in applying for. Now, my Master’s experience has helped me develop skills which make me feel more qualified to begin my search for a job in the media industry. Being a part of the Faculty of Media & Communication has also taught me that confidence in your abilities is essential to your career progression. It’s a competitive industry and being tentative about whether or not you’ll be good enough isn’t going to get you anywhere. My attitude has changed from ‘you have to be perfect before you even bother’ to ‘you’ll only be good enough if you give yourself a chance to be’ and I am certain this new outlook will help me present a more assured version of myself to potential employers.

My classmates and I have a long way to go as we take our first steps into our chosen industries, but the Master’s course has certainly set us on the right track, not only in terms of skills, knowledge, and contacts, but also in terms of self-confidence to thrive and succeed in this competitive industry.

By Olivia Beazley