It’s so surprising how much you learn in just six months. I can’t recognise myself reading back my last Progress Report, six months ago to the day, about my first term at City University, being stuck on 50wpm and beginning to apply for grad schemes. I am a completely different journalist.

I’m a better writer (especially features), I’m more creative with my page design, I’m a faster, more effective newsgatherer and my contacts book is much thicker than it was last August. I’ve been lectured by some special names, have learnt a lot from my rejections along the way and feel more confident in my ability to do journalism. Alas, my Masters is almost over (I’ve only got my final 5,000 word project to do) but I feel like I’ve taken advantage of the luxury that is a year spent in journalism education.

All of that means I’m pleased to say that I’ll be starting at the Guardian today as a Content Co-ordinator on a ten month contract for three of the Professional Networks, the innovative B2B community sites bringing together advice, insight and best practice on a range of subjects. The role, similar to the held by The Intern until he left for The Telegraph last week, involves uploading content to the web, arranging Q&As, interacting via social media and some other community bits besides. I’m really excited about the opportunity and will hopefully keep you up to date with how it goes.

Excitement aside though, I’ve felt another feeling in the past few days, one of ‘what happens now?‘. Because, for six years since I did work experience at the now defunct Funday Times and I resolved in my head to be a journalist, a large amount of what I’ve done has been geared up to getting a paid job in the media. Like all of us, I did work experience, stayed late, blogged in my spare time, pitched to people who didn’t really want to know, always trying to impress, always looking from the outside in.

But now, rather than attempting to convince people I’m capable of reporting on that local charity summer ball or that I won’t cause any trouble in the two weeks I’m on work experience,  I’ll be in a situation where that kind of pressure isn’t applicable. Obviously I will still need to prove myself, I’m fully aware of that, but it’ll be in a different way.

In short, I will have a little respect as a journalist. Not very much, I realise that, but a little. To couch it in a metaphor, My stock has gone up, and though it might not be worth a lot still, it’s more valuable than it was. And what’s more, I’m really looking forward to increasing it’s worth in my time at the Guardian.