LSFM 3rd Year Undergraduate

I applied for LSFM Industry Mentoring as I thought it would give me an insight into post-university life and help me understand how to progress into a media career.  I was paired with Ben Atkinson-Foster, the Digital Education Developer for the College of Arts and a former media student at the University of Lincoln, who shared his experiences in industry as well as his interests in Radio; of which he produces and presents a specialist music podcast.

I am an avid music fan and DJ with aspirations to work in the events industry as well as on Radio and so Ben was a very ideal person to have been mentored by. I could not have anticipated how much of a fantastic utility Ben has been to my studies this year alongside speaking about his own career development and providing pointers for my own path post-university. His suggestions and time have been invaluable to my final year projects and have helped to ease my stress massively with my deadlines.

The meetings were never forced or formal; they were always relaxing and friendly and I was able to have conversations about everything from movies to industry news to technical media questions I may have had in a convenient setting like the pub or a coffee shop. Ben always showed interest in my extra-curricular activities as well as suggested things I could do to enhance my portfolio as a media creator and music performer even outside of the set university modules. He’s been great and I would really recommend him for any student interested in Radio, Business, IT Development and Digital Media!

I couldn’t have asked for a better person to have been mentored by and the scheme has really helped to focus my thoughts about what I would like to do following university. We had a lot in common and it was enjoyable to speak about our own aspirations post university. I have applied to be a counsellor at a Summer Camp in New York this year where I will be teaching Radio production and DJ’ing to teenagers. I can’t wait to get there and share my expertise in the media fields as well as develop my teaching ability; an area I would potentially consider looking into when I return to the UK in September. I have further aspirations to work within the events and Radio industry with a long term goal of working for the BBC one day!

LSFM student-mentees from 2018/19 please comment on your mentoring experience by going to this online survey, run by Careers & Employability. We look forward to your feedback – thank you.