How the Guardian link-up happened

If you know me at all, I'll have already bored you silly with the tale of how micro-blogging site Twitter helped me to get an article, hopefully the first of a series, published on the Guardian's website.

But for those of you that are new to the story, come in, sit down, brew up.



Are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin.



It all began around a month ago when I heard about an internship scheme offered by the University of Sunderland (where I've just finished a Journalism degree). I was given the relevant forms and bumf from a lecturer, and if truth be told, it went into my bag and I forgot about it.

A follow-up message from a different lecturer reminded me and I scooted along to the website to fill in the forms. I also tweeted about it, out of habit, rather than expectancy that anything would come from it.



But something did come from it. The word 'internship' caught the eye of the Guardian's Laura-Jane Filotrani who contacted me asking if I'd like to write something about the scheme for the careers section of the paper's website. (Is this a good time to remind you that the Guardian's site is the most used newspaper website in the entire world? It is? Good.)



Obviously I jumped at the chance and after trading a couple of e-mails with LJ I sent her a draft of an opening to a diary style piece. It went something like this:

"Time drags when you’ve just finished University. The sudden change from looming deadlines and pulling all-nighters to hit them to being able to sit around all day in the glorious sunshine is somewhat disconcerting.

And while the weather is this unusually beautiful, it’s hard to motivate yourself to do anything tangible about your boredom, or indeed, the rest of your life.

Last week I handed in my final assignment for my Journalism degree at the University of Sunderland. I was expecting a great rush of relief to overpower me, but in reality all I was thinking was ‘What am I going to do now?’ Various ideas and projects mill around in my head, but none of them seem worthy of pursuing further. And it’s hard to know where to start without the structure of lectures to build your time around.

This diary will look at my experiences in the scary place that patronising people refer to as ‘the real world’. Hopefully you’ll find it useful, or at least entertaining."

LJ, luckily for me, approved and commissioned me (paid. I was amazed) to write a full piece. And two drafts later, the final piece, with a few minor adjustments, appeared on the Guardian website. I'd forgotten the rush you get from seeing your name attached to an article, especially one that you were pleased with.

A day that was petering out turned into a rush of whoring my piece around everywhere I could think of to get people to read it. Hopefully it will lead to developing the idea into a series.

And you can help. Leave a comment on the article. Tell us of your experiences post-University, your hopes and fears of finding work in a dead job market. The more conversation I can get on the piece the more chance I have of getting more chances. I'd really appreciate it.

Jamie.