IIUMToday prepares us for career prospects

By Maryam Nasir

GOMBAK, 20 August 2022: Two alumni of IIUMToday, Siti Alya Nadiah Binti Ismail @ Ramli and Mohamad Faris Bin Mohamad Fuard, acknowledged the news portal as a milestone for their career in the communication field.

Alya Nadiah who was a former student Managing Editor of IIUMToday successfully secured a position as a journalist with the Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA) in April 2021, right after her internship.

She admitted that the experience as the Managing Editor had advanced her not only in journalism but also in leadership, teamwork, and friendship. 

She pointed out that having a great team in IIUMToday as the backbone through thick and thin, helped her a lot in shaping who she is today. 

In sharing the experience of handling the news portal, Alya said, “I can simply improve my writing and gain knowledge while reading and editing articles. Besides, managing IIUMToday doesn’t mean neglecting my studies.”

“I was very active during my early years of study, but I started to focus more in my study at the end of my degree,” she added. 

Another alumnus of IIUMToday, Muhammad Faris, is currently working with the data firm, INVOKE, in the department of Digital Marketing where he is responsible for copywriting, managing campaigns on Facebook Ads manager, and optimising ads to provide the best results during a campaign period.

Also from the communication field, he felt the same with Alya where IIUMToday helped in his career. 

“I remember when the former Editor of IIUMToday, Tuan Haji Aznan, used to criticise us when we wrote long articles, but with no substance in it. He reminded me to do write-ups from the more important to the less important points. That is how I put the knowledge I gained into my copywriting.”

Placed on the Rector’s List, Faris aimed for it since Semester one and kept reminding himself to push all the way to be placed on the list once he graduated. He was glad that he achieved it.

“I’m very proud of myself for hitting the target, but I wouldn’t be able to get it if it weren’t for the support of my friends who are also in the Rector’s List,” he added.

In the interview with IIUMToday, Faris said, “The biggest challenge I faced was changing course from technical to non-technical.”

“Changing course during my degree means you have to go through the entire process again. But Alhamdulillah everyone in the Kulliyyah, the Communication Department specifically, was great.”

Both alumni emphasised that journalism is all about practice and consistency. Learning from mistakes prepared them to do better in the real world.***

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