SMART

Goals

SWOT

Analysis

SWOT

‘Never - Say-Die Attitude.’

I love risk taking and all things ‘new’. I have a very large respect for order and timings and thrive under pressure. I am goal driven and a task oriented individual.

SWOT

Having both Dyslexia and Dyscalculia…

…results in a tendency for me to feel under-qualified, which manifests as someone who doesn’t always put their self forward for the opportunities that I know deep down I could actually handle well.

In particular my dyslexia means that I don’t always recognise when my writing has flaws and so I’ve often struggled with sub-editing my own work. Therefore, on the back of this I have sometimes struggled with confidence in my written work and would be reluctant sending pieces to publications for consideration or for freelance assignments.

Overcoming My Weaknesses

Over the years I have learnt to be entirely comfortable sharing my written work with peers and editors, allowing them to be my proof-readers. New techologies have also helped in my writing workflow.

SWOT

Blessed With a Large Network and Great Connections

I have managed to gain access into some high intensity recording studios and news rooms. I have watched some of the best in the field at work. These first-hand learning experiences, along with some honourable people who have given me the time of day and also the space to make mistakes and grow from them are what I know will propel me further. I have an extensive list of industry contacts who have urged me to keep in communication with them so that they can open doors for me. My desire is that this experience does not go to waste and actually shines through as maturity and a willingness to learn.

SWOT

This is a Competitive Industry

In relation to my long terms plans of becoming an ‘expert’ in one particular subject area, a potential threat is the distraction of having many interests. My love and fascination currently ranges across a myriad of specialisms, from faith to fashion, politics to sport, music to foreign affairs - and much more - and I have yet to truly discover my ‘THING’. I desire for my work to have impact.

Of course, an alternative threat is that I get trapped in one particular specialism and end up in an area that I discover does not bring me life.

Journalists, I believe, are at their core justice driven people. In us is a desire to tell stories and make an impact with our words or photography. Despite the fact that we journalists are not the story ourselves, I do dream that my work will be a story in itself one day.

SMART GOALS

Specific | Measurable | Achievable | Relevant |Time-Bound

Within Two Years

In this section I will outline my long-term and short—term goals for post graduation, including the things I aim to achieve in my career as a journalist but also the goals I wish to add to my individual skills bank

  • Post graduation I am making plans to move to London and have arranged to meet an executive within Conde Nast, with a view to gaining work within one of their titles (preferably Vogue).

  • My ambition is to work within the film and multimedia department, in order to gain the necessary experience and expertise that I will require for my future goals.

  • Whilst employed, I will continue to work (investigation, scripting, producing) on my own personal creative portfolio, which is a 20-30 minute, published TV documentary that will be expandable into a minseries of at least four episodes.

  • This documentary will be pitched commissioning editors at, for example, the BBC.

Within Five Years

  • I would love to have my own radio or podcast show that incorporates not just opinion but news and fact.

  • Eventually, having built up the skills and confidence in broadcasting at the highest level I hope to be ready and trusted enough to move into foreign correspondence reporting.

Within Ten Years

  • Ten years on from graduation, having gained industry insight and experience, my desire as an ‘expert’ would be to help traditional news outlets survive by adapting to the explosive growth of multi-media platforms that are consumed by the newest generations, including my own. I do not wish to see the ‘mothers’ and ‘fathers’ (or even the ‘grandparents’) of our industry crash out due to low viewership or readership levels when there are so many ways to correct this. Their voices are what will teach us to do better but also give us the chance to stand on their shoulders and even go beyond what they have created so far.

  • Finally, my ultimate target will be to utilise all of these experiences and goals for the purpose of creating my own broadcasting and publishing house. One that is based on a mobile app technologies and has all broadcast, radio and podcast content archived on it; a space that demonstrates the power of people’s choice through viewership algorithms and AI intelligent input.

  • We are yet to find out what the equivalent disrupter that social media and mobile phones were for our parent’s generation will be, and how it will affect this next generation. Perhaps AI? Maybe something not yet discovered or invented. Either way, I am excited to push journalism into its next, inevitable phase.