I lost my nerve and I wanted to quit journalism after my first year of studying. I was 18 years old when I started in journalism with my bachelor’s degree at St. Petersburg State University in 2014.
I was naive and I saw myself on TV screens. However, I did not think about the path I would have to walk. In fact, during the first year of studying, instead of television cameras and a microphone, I had to spend my time learning the history of journalism.
Felling frustrated, I said to my mother that I wanted to quit my studies.
My mother told me: “Try one more year. If you still do not like it, then leave.”
Inside me the dream of television had not yet completely died, and I decided to continue my studies.
In my second year, the situation improved. We were writing more texts and I got acquainted with the basics of television and radio journalism. In addition to this, I started my internship at the university’s TV channel and filmed my first stories.
At last, when it was time to choose a specialization, without hesitation, I picked the department of television and radio journalism. The competition was high. But I was chosen and for the next two years I worked with passion. We filmed a lot, did our own video reports, and produced a news program. I felt that I was in the right place. It seemed that the dream had come true and that I was about to get my dream job in TV.
The road to TV was not paved with roses. It turned out that I was not welcomed with open arms in the television industry. At the same time, it was easier to start with print journalism. To be honest, I have always been interested in sports, so I started to work in a local sport newspaper in St. Petersburg. I was writing about hockey and football and attending tennis tournaments, but the thought of television never left me.
In this case, I was happy when I was sent to the TV channel. I was given various tasks and tasked with doing interviews. I met different people in the field of cinema, theatre, music.
But the euphoria from the first months on the TV channel quickly subsided when I realized that, in general, my work had simmered down. I wanted to work more on producing my stories, launching an entertainment project. All the vacant places were filled and everyone around me was busy. It seemed like no one cared about me. I felt out of place.
After a half of year working in TV, I decided to take a break from journalism and think carefully about how to develop my career further. I got a job at a hotel’s concierge service.
At the hotel we had a guest from Finland who had visited St. Petersburg to watch the hockey game. We started talking about sports. After some time, he invited me to coffee and that is how our romantic relationship began. Imagine my surprise when it turned out that he was a sports journalist!
As it turned out, we had been at the same hockey matches many times when I was working as a sports journalist. But we met just at the time when I took a break from journalism. Six months later we got married and I moved to Finland.
Like many migrants who have just moved to Finland, I took Finnish language courses. But I did not plan to work here as a journalist because of my fear of working in the Finnish language. Additionally, I could not imagine how I could compete with Finnish journalists who have experience, language, and knowledge of their own country.
After a while, I became quite proficient in Finnish and got a job in a kindergarten. I have always liked working with children. I was monitoring different universities and planning to become a kindergarten teacher.
One day during a quiet hour, when there was a break, and I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, I came across an advertisement that said, “Training Programme for Journalists with immigrant backgrounds. Haaga-Helia.”
Then I remembered how I always wanted to work on television. While the kids were sleeping, my old dream that had been dormant for many years woke up. In short, I decided to send an application.
After the interview I was selected and then the fun began! The course included internships in the Finnish media.
I am doing my internship at the MTV3 channel, where I do what I like and what I can: interviewing, shooting videos, and writing texts. Moreover, I am satisfied with the friendly atmosphere in the team and how I am treated as an equal. For example, I like that my opinion is considered, my ideas are listened to, and I am given complete freedom of action.
The main difference between this experience is that I am responsible for my project myself, starting from creating the idea all the way to film editing.
And, of course, the Finnish language – where would we be without it! I communicate in Finnish with colleagues, doing interviews (apart from foreigners, with whom I use English), and write texts. No doubt, sometimes it is difficult and takes time, but the main thing, it seems to me, is the result of the work done. Twice my video stories have been shown on the morning show, “Huomenta Suomi.” I was happy to receive positive feedback from fellow journalists, editors, and the audience.
Although I do not know what kind of relationship I will have with journalism in the future, it looks like that the 18-year-old girl’s dream has come true.
Journalisti is publishing articles by international students from Haaga-Helia to mark the 100th anniversary of Journalisti.
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