Kevin Ding

What advice would you give to students who are unsure about choosing the right degree for their interests and career aspirations?

Ideally you want to combine the things you’re good at with the things you enjoy doing. If you use this as a compass for researching different careers and study options, you’ll choose a degree you can thrive in.

When it comes to researching your options find out what day-to-day tasks are like in certain disciplines or industries and ask yourself, ‘Could I be good at that? Would I enjoy doing that?’

But most importantly, don’t overthink it. University is the time to try new things, make mistakes, and learn from them. If things aren’t what you expected, you can always pivot and re-organise your studies.

What unexpected skills did you gain from your degree that you have taken into your current role and why has it been so valuable?

An essential element of media and journalism is communication. Whether it's written, verbal, or multimodal communication, knowing how to adapt your communication style and engage with others is a vital skill.

My degree gave me the opportunity to hone my communication skills, which I've now taken into my career. I can now express myself clearly and engage with people from varied backgrounds.  Most surprisingly these skills have made me a better people person which has been vital in my career, effective communication is everything in the workplace!

What extracurricular activities, work integrated learning programs or other opportunities helped you develop personally and professionally and how did you manage to balance them with your studies?

A big part of my UNSW experience involved volunteering, and later working at Blitz, the student publication. It’s full of students interested in journalism and media who write articles, create videos, podcasts and other content pieces for the wider UNSW community. It gave me a place to do what I love and develop my creative skills - and I also made some of my first UNSW friends there.

Arc @ UNSW is central to student life running a plethora of clubs and societies for a range of interests and are a great way to get professional experience and build your resume, I highly recommend exploring your options there! 

There are so many professional development opportunities at UNSW, from UNSW Employability workshops to work experience programs built into your courses that count towards your study credit. If you try your hand at these all your experiences will add up to an overall valuable portfolio and provide you with a vast toolkit of skills, you can take into your career.

Without these experiences I wouldn't have been able to apply for or win the Jacoby-Walkley Scholarship with Nine in 2023 which gave me invaluable hands-on experience in the industry and resulted in me now working as an Associate News Producer with Nine.

What role have the friendships and networks you made throughout your studies at UNSW played in your personal and professional life?

The friendship’s I've made throughout my degree have played such a big role in where I am today. I’ve made lifelong friends and met professors who’ve become my mentors.  

These people have been with me during celebrations and hardships and have guided me on the right path professionally. University is a microcosm, there are endless possibilities of who you may meet and interact with, make the most of it.

"Ideally you want to combine the things you’re good at with the things you enjoy doing. If you use this as a compass for researching different careers and study options, you’ll choose a degree you can thrive in."