The College welcomes its alumni back for many reasons, whether it is to help with career's advice, or with workshops, or to attend events, or the annual conference Publishing Innovation, or to take part in course development and reviews. Many ex-LCC students are very generous in their support. Their companies often offer excellent work placement opportunities to our students.

As well as encouraging ongoing contact with your past tutors via email or in person the University runs an Alumni Association. This network of former students from across the Colleges provides opportunities for links with other alumni and staff. Members receive regular updates and invitations to events and activities at the Colleges and have continued use of the University's libraries for industry research, including access to the University's Enterprise Centre for the Creative Arts, which is based at LCC.

Here's what some more recent alumni have to say about their LCC experiences.

Dmitry Artyukhov - MA Publishing (Magazine)

When I joined the 2007/08 publishing master's at LCC in London I wanted to narrow down my rather broad first degree in journalism from Moscow State University. The course certainly did that, giving deep insights into the business side of publishing. Speakers from the highly developed and competitive UK magazine industry - GQ, Tank, and John Brown - were a great source of information.

One of the most valuable things for me is the international network of friends which I formed. But the real cherry on the cake was writing the MA thesis about the specialist area of digital information management, under the guidance of an expert member of the acadmic staff.  

On returning to Moscow I joined Gruner and Jahr, the big german publishing house, as the editor of  GEO Online .  

 

Deborah V. Owusu-Bonsu - MA Publishing (Book and Journal)

"My favourite aspect of the course has been the lectures - particularly those from visiting speakers from the industry. They help us have a direct feel of what the future of publishing will be like, thus keeping us on the cutting edge of this digital era."

When we talked to her, Deborah was undertaking a Pearson Summer Diversity Internship at Financial Times Business, where she was assisting the Senior Designer. The knowledge she had attained on the course about layout, pagination and creating PDFs all proved helpful and she was also learning more about how to design for the web.

"The publishing industry is changing very fast. The course keeps students up to date with the knowledge and wisdom got from visiting speakers from top publishing companies, most of which are doing a lot of their publishing digitally and on the web," she said. "I hope to find my measure in the new and breaking frontiers of publishing and ICT. This course really taught me that we have to take risks, because publishing is not publishing without risk taking, be it book, magazine or web publishing."

Justin Renard - MA Publishing

"I had already worked in magazine and newspaper publishing for several years at start up literary magazines Maisonneuve and Zembla Magazine before I took the MA course in 2005-06. Though I had degrees in business and english literature I wanted more focused studies and make the shift to book publishing.

The MA course gave me the opportunity to delve deeper into areas of book and magazine publishing I had only begun to scratch. I wanted the opportunity to discuss, debate and engage with others passionate about the printed word. Best of all, when it came to write my thesis, I had the chance to research the exact aspect of publishing that turned out to be essential in getting the job I have today.

Before I had even graduated I sucessfully landed a job at Penguin in London marketing children's books. Later I transitioned to the brand management for media brands at a mobile publisher in Canada. Now I am working in Seattle as a content acquisition manager for the brand new Amazon Kindle eBook reader. I have great contacts, great friends and great memories of my time at LCC."

Jiang Li - MA Publishing (Magazine)

"This course has provided me with the ideas and tools to succeed in the international fashion magazine world"

Jiang Li is a graduate of the MA Publishing course. Jiang came to the course after graduating in fashion from one of China's most sought after universities, Donghua. Working for a year in Shanghai as a fashion editor, she realized that there is a huge gap between Chinese and Western styles with Chinese fashion magazines still in the developing stages. 

"This made me choose education in the UK where fashion is a very prosperous and mature industry. The course's greatest gift was working with classmates who came from various countries and with different cultural backgrounds. The course director gave me an opening as an intern with Tank Magazine, to research expanding their operations in China. I must have done something right as I was taken on as a Managing Editor and Project Manager - China, and now from London I undertake new publishing projects for the Chinese market. As a bonus I also met my husband on the course!

Paul Campbell - PG Diploma Publishing

"After finishing the PG Diploma in 2002, I landed my first job at Virgin Net, (now Virgin Media) where I was an online service channel producer. The course not only helped me get the job, but the skills I had developed at LCC also were immediately useful to compile quality editorial features and content. I then spent 18 months at a digital marketing agency which was part of the giant WPP worldwide communications group. As an Experience Architect I worked on various projects for clients, including Audi and Microsoft.

I am now an Experience Architect for Map of Medicine, part of the Hearst Corporation, which designs and publishes information sources for healthcare professionals.  Fortunately the course gave me a very grounded and rounded understanding of publishing, so I am as home in the science, medical and technical (SMT) sector as I was in the consumer sector. This holistic view of publishing from LCC will hold me in good stead in the years ahead and the course continues to be a source for contacts, developments and events. 

Victoria Pavry - MA Publishing (Book and Journal)

"After completing a degree in History at Durham University the LCC postgraduate course was recommended to me by a publisher when I was doing some work experience over the summer. The MA Publishing opened up lots of opportunities to explore the less well-known aspects of the industry, as well as providing contacts for work placements and training in digital publishing, which is the fastest-growing aspect of the industry.

The reputation of my MA course, its excellent skills training in project management, and its contact with Pearson Education are key reasons why I was able to secure the job I am now in as an Editor at Pearson Longman which, along with Penguin Books and the Financial Times group, is part of Pearson plc."

Maria Petalidou - PG Publishing

" I've been working in the industry ever since I finished the course in 2002. The course was the perfect introduction to all aspects of publishing and was purposefully designed to provide the springboard for launching a successful career. Modules on print production proved invaluable over the years while modules on Marketing and Business Practice gave a taste of the inner workings of the industry.

What remains at the heart of the college's success however, is its commitment to building effective partnerships between practitioners.  The college's rich list of events, seminars and open days whereby leading professionals disseminate the latest developments in the industry are certainly some of the highlights of my calendar year."

Jenny Chan - MA Publishing

"The course has given me a firm grasp of every aspect of the publishing business. I thoroughly enjoyed working in groups and working on practical assignments from which I've learnt various problem-solving methods and had the opportunity to learn the real side of publishing. I am also grateful to the course directors who frequently arrange influential speakers to share their experiences and insights."

"Knowing exactly my future career was in the educational publishing industry. After the MA I completed a TESOL qualification to equip me further for my intended career in education publishing. Currently I'm working for my family business, an educational publishing company based in Hong Kong and running its Taipei branch. Having to deal with all the aspects of publishing from marketing, accounting, administration, editorial to publication planning, the course has given me the confidence to run a successful business."

Catherine Burke - MA Publishing

"I decided to do an MA in Publishing following my English degree as I realised how competitive it can be to find work in publishing. I also wanted to demonstrate to prospective employers how committed I was to publishing, as well as gain a thorough understanding of how the business worked. It was also a great opportunity to meet like-minded people.

"The MA course gave me a great opportunity to gain an objective view of the industry as a whole - something I am certain I would not have been able to do if I had started work immediately after University. I was also able to develop my own areas of interest through projects and my final dissertation.

"I believe gaining the MA was a big advantage when it came to securing interviews following the course. Two months after I'd finished, I started working as an editorial assistant at BCA, the direct mail bookseller. Over nearly three years, I was promoted to Associate Editor and then Editor of two book clubs. I was interested in learning new skills and developing my career and left to become Associate Editor at Harlequin Mills & Boon, working on the imprint Silhouette. I started here at the beginning of 2004 and am thoroughly enjoying immersing myself in the world of Romance!"