It all starts right here
USC graduate Jonathan Williams tells how he started his career in television journalism
Jonathan Williams’ career in journalism started with a Bachelor of Arts (Communication) at USC. He is now a television journalist covering the sporting rounds at Ten News in Brisbane.
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For Jonathan, choosing USC was simple. “Growing up on the Sunshine Coast, I never wanted to study anywhere else,” he says. “My friends and family were all there, I was playing footy for Noosa and I really had no intentions of leaving.”
“I was thinking of starting a trade, but long-term I knew I wouldn't enjoy it. But I love sport – all types of sport – and I've always taken an interest in the news so I figured why not combine the two and try sports journalism.”
“During my course, the great positives were the smaller class sizes and the internship opportunities,” says Jonathan. “I think compared to the bigger universities, USC has a got a really good thing going there.”
Jonathan completed two internships while studying at USC – one with the Weekender Magazine and another with Seven Local News.
“Both were great learning curves,” says Jonathan. “I probably wouldn't have gotten my first job as a graduate if it wasn't for the University's internships. It really helped and I think it gave me an edge over the competition.”
Jonathan’s day with Ten News starts with meeting the camera crew and planning the story angle, then filming sporting teams’ training sessions and attending press conferences with players and coaches.
“After that, it's about putting the story together, voicing it and getting it edited,” says Jonathan. “It's extremely important to be coming up with different story ideas from the normal day-to-day press conferences and to be breaking new stories.”
Jonathan’s original career goal was to work for magazines, but his lecturers encouraged him to try television – and he’s glad they did. “I really enjoy the type of reporting I do,” he says. “I think there's far more variety compared to the other mediums.”
“Luckily my degree was very hands on, and my lecturer tried to turn every assignment into a real life working environment. He'd always say something like, ‘When you're a working journalist you'll need to write to tight deadlines, so it’s the same here.’ I still keep a style guide of his that's helpful both when you're studying and when you're working.”
“I guess it all did start for me at USC. The lecturers helped me develop and achieve my dreams. They made my goals achievable.”
Play USC's latest videos on YouTube, featuring interviews with graduates Dr Elke Hacker and Emily Orchard.