Colin Donald, a journalist at the Sunday Herald (a weekly UK newspaper) prepared for his career by doing an MPhil in International Relations at the University of Cambridge.
He feels that his master’s degree has given him a set of mental tools he can now apply in his career as a business editor. “It gave me confidence in my ability to get on top of a subject and examine it rigorously, and that confidence allowed me to convince people I knew roughly what I was talking about.”
It was an interest in world affairs that led Colin to study international relations at the University of Cambridge. “I was increasingly interested in foreign affairs, and wanted to get some academic rigour behind this interest to get a sense of the shape and range of the subject,” he says.
Colin believes that his graduate degree has been a boost to his career. It helped him find work teaching at a Japanese university, an experience which he used to change the direction of his career in journalism, where he had been an arts writer. He now works for the Sunday Herald in Scotland.
“I put together a weekly business section, which involves seeking out topical news stories, writing them, and editing other people’s articles. A lot of the job is also responding to various pitches, requests for meetings, having meetings, a bit of management of personnel, and forward planning,” he says.
Colin also feels a master’s degree gives a great opportunity for total immersion in a subject. “It’s a great way to spend a year and to put yourself through a kind of boot camp, as it is all quite intensive. Like boot camp (I imagine) you look back on it with much more fondness than you felt when you were doing it.”
For any potential journalists looking to follow in his footsteps, Colin recommends they have a lot of confidence, something to say and that they can write with flair – all skills which can be developed and honed during a Masters. “Journalism is like showbusiness as much as it is about auditing or accountancy. You need to be able to spot trends coming and not be afraid of the obvious. You also need to genuinely like people and treat them nicely. It is surprising how many journalists are misanthropists!”
Colin says it is hard to always get this right, but the real secret is to work so hard at it that you make it look easy. He also recommends something slightly more mundane – good shorthand skills. “Fast typing is useful, but no substitute,” he says.
The best job in the world
As a journalist, Colin says the highlights are writing the articles you think are the definitive last word on the subject. “It doesn’t often happen, but it is very satisfying when it does. I love the access the job gives me, in my case to the Scottish ruling classes, and I also like breaking good stories, writing encouraging things about people or ideas that have the potential to benefit Scotland.”
Would he recommend his career choice to others? “Yes,” Colin says. “It’s lots of fun, though there are easier ways to make more money! But, if you are nosey, interested in the way the world works, enjoy meeting people and influencing debates, it’s the best job in the world!”