Here’s what you need to know about The Gaudie. According to The Guardian, it is the oldest independent student publication in Scotland, dating back to 1934. It has since then become a successful 21st century voice across the campus and the city of Aberdeen, owning up to a readership of 1000 in print. It caters to all reading and writings tastes: News, Features, Opine, Science and Environment, Arts, Life and Style, Gaming and Technology, Satire and Sports.
Above all, it’s a newspaper written by you and for you. Around 150 students contribute articles and photographs on an annual basis, as well as another 20 students, who work together to bring it to life. Each section has its own editor, who is responsible for engaging with new writers and editing their material. After this, the production team takes care of designing and laying out the pages you then read.
For a budding journalist, writer, photographer, or designer, there is really no better feeling than seeing your work in print – personally, I know I’ve put cut-outs of all my published articles up on my walls and kept a copy of all the editions I helped produce. On top of that, it is a great addition to your CV! Not only does it grant you with the opportunity to develop key skills, such as written communication, but it also enhances your employability whilst at university.
This is true not only for the writers, but really for every other role. For many of the editors, working with The Gaudie has been a chance to develop their team communication skills, the ability to work with short deadlines as well as sensitive topics. They find themselves improving their alertness to what happens in the world around them and their networking abilities, seeing as they often engage with the local community in search for new stories to tell.
In turn, in the production side of things, you’ll find yourself developing great problem-solving abilities, as new bugs seem to appear out of nowhere when editing, sometimes in the form of a picky editor who knows exactly how he wants his section to look. More superpowers include space management, IT skills (indesign and photoshop), adaptability, creativity and, of course, attention to detail and organisation skills, both of which are at the centre of everything when it comes to delivering a top-notch product.
When it comes to marketing, you’ll find yourself writing plenty of emails in search for the next big advertising deal, and you’ll feel a big sense of accomplishment when you send your first invoice and proudly tell your chief editors the team has some money coming in. A big desire to keep chasing advertising customers will naturally arise and, as a result, you’ll develop your negotiating skills as well as the charisma needed to sell a product, in this case, space in The Gaudie, and, therefore, the attention of thousands.
It’s also important to mention that there are no glass ceilings here. The sky really is the limit. Once you’ve been in the team for a while, you get the chance to progress and achieve leadership roles, which will grant you with a wide range of new competencies. If you make it to Editor in Chief, you’ll develop both verbal and written communication skills in order to build and motivate a team that can work together in harmony. This also implies having strong recruitment skills, the ability to delegate and make decisions, and to plan for the future, both operationally and financially, which is to say, setting goals (often financial) and finding ways to reach them.
In less words, The Gaudie is that lovely grandmother who doesn’t know when to stop filling up your plate every time you go over for lunch. You feel like you should tell her that’s enough, but deep down you know you want it all. The future is a long winter, and you need to fill up.
So, don’t hesitate in reaching out to become a part of the team! You’ll get to work in a lovely office with lovely people, and see your work going around campus!
If you are interested check out our webpages:
Join the Team: Home | The Gaudie
Write for Us: https://www.gaudie.co.uk/write-for-us
