David Proctor

BA (Hons) Social Science with Sociology, 2010

Tell me more about your job?

It’s all about finding news and getting stories that matter to people living in the north east of Scotland. They can be about anything – maybe they relate to the council, maybe the courts or maybe something you’re just not expecting. You just have to be prepared.

It sounds like the kind of job where no two days are the same?

Absolutely! You just have to be ready for anything that comes your way.

It can be quite tough as the job is always in the background of your life. You’re continually thinking ‘what can I do tomorrow?’ and ‘can I make a story out of this?’

People always come to you with stories too, it doesn’t matter whether you’re working or not. It never really goes away.

How did you end up at the Press and Journal?

Kind of by accident. I’d been working in broadcast news for the radio station Wave 102 (now Wave FM) in Dundee and I wound up getting a phone call inviting me to an interview for this job while I was on holiday.

I went along to it and was successful. I was quite happy to get the chance to work in print journalism as it’s quite competitive.

How did your time at Abertay help you get to where you are now?

It helped me consider what I wanted to do. I was halfway through my course when I realised that journalism might be the career route for me.

I really enjoyed my time at Abertay, it was really good.

Who or what had a lasting impact on you during your time at Abertay?

The sociology lecturers were great. They were so passionate and it instilled a passion into me. They cared so much about their subject – it was pretty inspiring actually.

What advice would you have for our current students?

Always be prepared for any eventuality. Work hard and make sure you’re organised. Focus on your studies, but always think about what’s beyond graduation so you can get work experience in the field you’d like to work in and make connections with people. 

To reconnect, engage and make an impact with your fellow alumni and the University, join abertayalumni.com