Reading Time: 3 minutesDuring the pandemic, news gathering in various news websites must continue. If as journalists in their usual conditions they have to go out to find news and conduct interviews, then there is a slight difference during a pandemic. That’s the story of Retyan Sekar, a journalist, on the talk show ‘Teatime’ made by Department of Communication International Program (IP) Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) on August 30, 2020.
For almost an hour, guided by Annisa Putri Jiany, Retyan shared stories about pursuing a career path as a journalist. Live Instagram Teatime’s theme “Study Life Impact to Carrier”, explores the experiences of this Communication Science’s alumni batch 2015.
Retyan, her nickname, said that working in online media must have a way to keep sources and finish news in all conditions. During a pandemic, interviews can be done online and some information can be searched through social media. In stark contrast to the pre-pandemic era.
Even though at first glance his career looks smooth, in fact his passion for journalism was not obtained in a short time. She has cultivated his experience in journalism since childhood.
Early Interest in Journalism
Since childhood, Retyan has always liked to participate in various competitions such as storytelling and poetry. This is what made her accustomed to writing and speaking in public. Retyan also loves to talk in front of the camera and has been familiar with broadcasting since she was nine years old. Until 2007, Retyan was invited to participate in making a documentary film and was selected as a young reporter.
When studying at the Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII), Retyan had joined the UII student press agency known as Himmah. Retyan said, through Himmah, he learned a lot about writing, the basics of journalism, teamwork, and sensitivity to internal issues. In addition, She also gained experience in dealing with the global world when She joined UII MUN and Jogja International Delegates.
Retyan’s interest in journalism led her to choose UII Communication Science Department. “From the beginning, I entered Communication Science already steadily entering specialization in Journalism. In my opinion, journalism is really fun. So we have like-minded friends to exchange ideas as well as be friends to play with. Because since I was little I often participated in competitions that were related to public speaking, without realizing it that shaped me,” said Retyan.
Reaching and Living The Dream Career Path
According to Retyan, who currently works at Kumparan online media, initially She just wanted to know how online media works. While at Kumparan, he was taught a lot on how to write and structure correctly. This made her determined to continue to improve writing patterns.
Despite having an internship at Kompas TV, since graduating Retyan has not been too confident about his writing skills. So She chose to look for work challenges that required her to develop her writing skills.
However, is it enough to achieve a dream career only with the support of enthusiasm or interest? Retyan advised that to achieve dreams, the key is to set goals. According to her, because by having a goal, the decisions made will feel more rational.
Even though the pandemic has hit and hindered his work, She advised to always be smart in seeing the positive side of all events. “Life is not a competition. These are tough times for everyone, and don’t beat yourself up for everything that happens in situations like this. Because the target that has been planned is chaotic does not mean you can blame yourself. Negative thinking is okay, but try to take the positive side. We can actually learn anything in the current situation, for example English, and so on,” She said.
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Writer: Fitriana Ramadhany (Student of Communication Major of UII, Internship at International Program of Communication Science Department UII)
Editor: A. Pambudi W
