Journey to journalism and beyond: HNC students explore how they can carve their own path in the media
12.03.2026Aspiring journalists at HNC recently enjoyed a visit from Dr Karl Hodge, Course Director for Undergraduate Journalism at Leeds Beckett University. Karl shared his own personal story of how his career has been a ‘winding road’ and not always the journey he anticipated as a young adult. He also advised our students about routes into media, including entrepreneurial journalism.
Karl shared how during his first post-graduate role selling advertising at a magazine he longed to be part of the team writing features, and how he combined this ambition with a love of technology to start seeking his own journalism opportunities, persevering with pitching his ideas to editors in between his current job, creating a snowball effect with both his personal portfolio and connections. This hard work and dedication saw him turn his passion into full time job.
In between sharing his history, our students were able to hear about modern day opportunities including developments in response to the explosion of social media and the different routes available from traditional NCTJ apprenticeship routes, being a self-starter and degree level study. He also spoke about building your personal brand as a journalist, and how one of his key strategies had been to always be early on a deadline, building trust with editors.
Students took the opportunity to ask questions, and Karl shared his expertise on topics as diverse as how to develop the confidence to make your first pitch to an editor to the advantages and disadvantages when choosing between an apprenticeship or degree study route.
Hayley Doyle, who leads the HNC Echo enrichment comments: “This was a fabulous session – we only wish we had more time with Karl! It was a real insight into how careers are a journey, with forks in the road and sometimes unexpected turns. Our students were given plenty of food for thought, and it was really inspiring to hear how through resilience, motivation and passion he was able to create his own opportunities in the media. It was also an insightful look at the realities of journalism, and a chance for our students to hear first hand the skills and attitudes they might need to develop. We’d like to thank Karl for both his time and his expertise.”
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