Interview with Journalism graduate and Careers Adviser David Berridge
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Berridge: "the no-nonsense
atmosphere assured me
that the
program
was the best around."
UTS graduate David Berridge is now using his writing flair working as a careers adviser at Cranbrook School in Sydney. Having completed an Honours degree at UNSW, Berridge says was drawn to the vibrant city atmosphere of UTS by the Masters of Arts in Journalism program in 2003.
While employed, David chose to study journalism at UTS for three simple reasons - the industry reputation, the quality of the lecturers and the academic rigour of the course. According to him, "the quality of the lecturers who were also working in the profession and the no-nonsense atmosphere at UTS assured me that the program was the best around."
Studying Honours had sparked a passion for writing at a higher level but Berridge said he couldn't imagine himself undertaking a PhD and heading into the stuffy world of academia. He says the Journalism program at UTS allowed him to use his skills and interests to gain practical journalistic experience instead of, as he puts it, "writing material that would only be read by worn-out and badly dressed academics".
David enjoyed the practical teaching style of UTS Journalism classes, particularly the real-life insights delivered by lecturers and tutors who were also practicing reporters. He said the industry-focused evaluations of his writing he received were beneficial and enlightening, albeit sometimes brutally honest.
Although initially dreaming of a career in the glamorous, jet-setting world of sports reporting, Berridge has found that his journalism studies have more practical applications - such as writing features for the Cranbrook School newsletter. Here the skills he refined while at UTS are used every week compiling material for his articles. He admits "I will not win any Pulitzer Prizes with my column" but says "it is a great use of the skills I gained from my Grad Cert Journalism at UTS."
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