Safraz Ali (BA Journalism, 2017) was determined to find a graduate job straight out of university and, thinking outside the box, has built a career in PR and communications. Safraz now helps current students envision their own career paths, and he is one of the first journalism alumni to be included in City St George’s new Journalism Wall of Fame.
“I was almost obsessed with it,” says Safraz Ali, Marketing and Communications Manager at Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot. “I spent a big part of my third year focusing on finding a graduate internship or a programme, or something of that sort, because I was so keen to leave the life of retail and start my career.”
Safraz wanted a degree that would allow him to be creative, write, and push him out of his comfort zone. A Btec in media studies had already given him a taste of journalism and the idea of studying something that would result in a distinct profession was appealing.
“I was looking at the likes of English and literature, and at the time I thought, well, if I do a journalism degree, I can become a journalist. That seems very simple.”
Safraz chose City St George’s undergraduate journalism course because of the Department’s reputation, connections to industry, and how well graduates seemed to do on the job market. Realising how competitive the journalism industry is, however, Safraz also kept an open mind and researched where his transferable skills could take him.
“It encouraged me to look beyond being a journalist,” he says. “I realised that PR and communications was an avenue I could take without having a communications or marketing degree.”
Even before Safraz graduated, he’d secured a communications internship with Nike, which then led to five years as a communications specialist with the brand. When sharing the news that he’d be working in communications and PR, some joked he was moving to the “dark side”.
“At the time, I think it was more taboo. It’s less taboo now, which is cool,” he says.
For Safraz it was still an opportunity to tell stories, and he used the skills he learnt at City St George’s to write engaging copy, cut through the noise, and provide journalists with what he knew they needed.
“Obviously, a lot of PR is your relationship with journalists and I think what I found is that they respect you as a PR a lot more knowing you have that journalism degree, you have that background,” he says.
Sarfraz believes there has been a shift since he graduated, and students are now encouraged to think outside the box when it comes to their careers. It is one of the reasons Safraz has been repeatedly invited to share his professional experiences with current journalism students.
“One of the reasons why I was open to it is because I know how much value I took from people coming in and speaking to me when I was a student, showing me what career paths there were, giving me the opportunities to network with them, the opportunities to ask questions first-hand about the industry,” Safraz says.
“When I share knowledge and answer questions, I can see a lot of people’s eyes and ears opening up to the possibilities. There are so many ways you can start your career.”
As a South Asian born in London, Safraz is also keen to show current students what is possible in the industry, no matter their background.
“Every year I see a more diverse cohort and I always see people who remind me of myself,” he says. “And knowing the position they are in, makes me want to be that example.”
When asked what advice he would give to current students and recent graduates, Safraz says,
“Don’t hesitate. If you’re a recent graduate, hopefully you would have taken advantage of some of the work experience and networking opportunities that come with having gone to City. If you’re someone who’s in your second year or third year; it’s never too early to start thinking about what that career will look like after the degree. Start early and stay ahead of the curve.
“The worst that can happen is a no, that’s what I always say. I think one of the best pieces of insight is, all you need is one yes. You might get about 400 rejections, but it’s that one yes.
“Lord knows I had my fair share of rejections when going for my internships. I obviously got very fortunate to land an internship at a company like Nike, but I got rejected by companies that are nowhere near the stature of Nike.
“UK is a hotbed of talent and brands are investing in the UK as well, so you never know where that kind of entry point can come from. And I think once you have a foot on the ladder, the climb becomes a lot easier. Getting that one foot on the ladder, that’s the tough part.
“If you told me in my first year of journalism that 10 years on, I’d be working for a Swiss luxury watchmaker running marketing, I’d be like, “How the hell did that happen?”
Safraz also never thought he would find himself on City St George’s Journalism Wall of Fame, but during his latest visit to the University, he was presented with a plaque, which will be one of the first ones to adorn the wall when it gets a fresh new look this spring.
“I’ve not really had anything like that before, so it’s pretty surreal,” says Safraz, remembering all the times he walked past the original wall as a student, looking at the black and white photos of very prominent journalists and thinking he would never have that kind of career.
“It’s nice to know that it’s there and it may serve as a source of inspiration for anyone seeing the journey I’ve taken since my degree.”
The new Wall of Fame will present a diverse group of journalism alumni and the different career paths they have taken. There will also be a focus on those alumni who remain engaged with the University after they graduate.
“I feel very thankful and indebted to the University for helping me start my career and enabling me to get that first opportunity,” says Safraz. “So I’m always open to ways I can pay it back.“
A big thank you to Safraz Ali for sharing his story with us and with City St George’s journalism students.
Photos courtesy of Safraz Ali