To be a journalist in the UK, you will need to pass your NCTJ (national Council for the Training of Journalists) exams at some point. These include News Writing, Public Affairs, Law, Shorthand and a Portfolio.

Studying journalism on an accredited course will get you these qualifications, or at least give you the lessons needed. When I enrolled for my B.A. (Hons) Travel Journalism course, nobody at the university told me that even though the Single Honours B.A. Journalism degree is accredited, mine isn't.

I feel a bit cheated, to be honest. If I'd known from the start - instead of finding out halfway through the degree - I could have changed courses. Now I am doomed to somehow get my NCTJ preliminaries on top of this degree.

I have therefore decided, to sit the News Writing exam at the end of the academic year (the one module within my degree that is accredited) and hand in my portfolio. Since I will have to work, and don't have money, time or enthusiams to do more university studies or a full-time top-up course, I will do it via distance learning from the NCTJ itself.

Funnily enough, studying journalism at university costs £3000+ per year., plus all teh books and other materials needed. With this distance learning course, you learn everything you need to know, have between 6 months and two years time to complete it, get your books and exam fees covered in the price and it only costs a little less than £400. And the NCTJ has already told me that although I would have to repeat the module as part of the course, I wouldn't have to repeat my exams.

Just wish I'd known about this earlier.