Journalism studies exceeded Ella Lipiäinen’s expectations

Ella Lipiäinen ended up studying journalism a little unexpectedly. The studies have proven to be practical, and they got right to work in the beginning of their studies.

Text and photo: Karoliina Hakasalo

− The studies have been much more than I expected. I learned and gained the necessary skills to work as an independent journalist very quickly, says Ella Lipiäinen.

Lipiäinen from Porvoo is in her third year of studies at Turku University of Applied Sciences. Journalism studies can focus on either multimedia journalism or communications. Lipiäinen is particularly interested in journalism and has completed all her internships in both smaller and larger medias.

When Lipiäinen was initially considering what field she would like to pursue, studying journalism had not crossed her mind. She found journalism through a small twist. Lipiäinen was admitted to the University of Turku to study general literature directly from upper secondary school by certificate-based admission. However, she quickly realized that university studies were not for her. When she explored the studies offered again, she found journalism at Turku UAS.

− I realised that practical doing is more for me, Lipiäinen says.

Practice plays an important role

The description of studies sounded very interesting and she decided to apply for journalism studies the very next spring. It paid off, as Lipiäinen got in on the first try.

− I’ve always liked to perform and spend time with people, so I thought my own character was suitable for a journalist. However, you don’t need to know anything beforehand, you learn everything during your studies.

Lipiäinen has found the practice-based learning of her studies particularly useful. Right from the beginning of her studies, she has been able to write, film and edit as well as publish her own articles and videos in Tutka, an online publication for journalism students.

− We learn specifically by doing. For example, we write news and then we get feedback from the group and teachers. Next time you will know better what to do differently and what you are already good at.

Teamwork and feedback

In Lipiäinen’s opinion, the editorial work course has been one of the best. Students got to experience what it’s like to work in a real editorial office under schedule pressure. The articles were carried out on a short schedule with the support of the editorial staff, i.e. their own group.

An idea was brought to the editorial meeting and it got implemented as quickly as possible. Eventually, the story was published in Tutka in less than a week. Both videos and articles were made during the course. A lot of feedback was given and received on the work done, which Lipiäinen thinks enriches learning a lot.

In the video reportage course, on the other hand, you could practice making a longer video. During a filming job of the course, Lipiäinen got to follow the manufacture of eye prostheses. She describes the job as one of the most unforgettable.

− I feel that my studies at TUAS have provided me with a solid foundation for working life. Internships allow you to deepen what you have already learned at school before entering working life.

At the beginning of her studies, Lipiäinen was surprised that they took up practical work immediately and you could come across anything. She has also been positively surprised by how good internships in working life you can get during your studies and how great experiences you can get through study projects.

Internships give a career boost

Last summer, Lipiäinen had a summer job at Uusimaa newspaper. There, she suggested that they start making news videos for social media. Apart from Instagram, they ended up opening a TikTok account for the paper. Lipiäinen is looking forward to working in Uusimaa also next summer. She points out that internships can open job opportunities if you do a good job.

− All internships provide good experience of working life. Of course, competition can be tough at the application stage, but as long as you remember to justify why you want to join the company and just be yourself, there is a good chance of getting the job.

When Lipiäinen started her studies, she thought that she would become a writing journalist, as she had always liked writing. However, things turned out differently, as she has enjoyed both audio and video productions very much.

Two of her most memorable interviews took place during internships. In Yle Turku, Lipiäinen was able to report live on Yle’s Southwest Finland radio broadcast about the Christmas tree chosen for Turku Cathedral. In MTV News, Lipiäinen got to make a video about the Village of the Year with another intern. One of the interviews took place at night in the middle of a local lake while seining with fishermen.

− It’s probably my most special interview and I’ll never forget it, Lipiäinen says.

Lipiäinen points out that journalism is constantly changing at a rapid pace.

− You have to keep up with the change in the industry and constantly develop yourself along the way. I think that is a richness.