Life at Farnham College

Torin Budd completed his A Levels in Graphic Design, Media Studies and Photography at Farnham College in 2020. He now works as a Junior Social Media and Platforms Journalist at The Times and The Sunday Times.

Torin said: “My time at Farnham College was quite transformational. I started college not knowing what I wanted to do long-term, but I knew I wanted to play music and I thought I didn’t want to go to university.

“The teaching staff were fantastic in providing support but also inspiring me to push myself and continue into university.

“In my second year at Farnham, I was the Student Union President of the Guildford College Group, which is a role I took great pride in.

“I thoroughly enjoyed representing the students and raising their issues on their behalf, as well as attending the NUS Conference in Glasgow in 2019.”

Life after college

After finishing his studies at Farnham College, Torin went on to study Journalism at the University of Winchester.

“After studying at University for three years, I am now working as a Junior Social Media and Platforms Journalist at The Times and The Sunday Times,” he said.

“My day-to-day tasks include everything from tweeting to over a million followers, to doing voiceovers for TikTok videos.

“Every day at work truly feels like a dream and one I have worked for since my time at Farnham College, as many of the skills I learnt during my time at the college are still applicable in my role today.”

Proudest achievement 

Torin shared his proudest achievement since attending college.

He said: “Aside from achieving a 2:1 in my degree and working in my current job, my proudest achievement was to work as a touring musician during the summer of 2022.

“It was a dream come true to go on tour with people who chose me based on my ability they had previously seen. I am also proud to have had my footage from my time at university used by ITV Meridian.”

Advice to college leavers

Torin had some words of wisdom to share with students that are about to leave college and embark on their next steps.

He said: “My best piece of advice to college students is to follow their passion and keep an open mind. I had no idea I wanted to be a journalist until I happened to hang around after a Media Studies talk which ran into a talk about the Journalism University course I would later devote all my time to.

“If you do these two things, you will come across new experiences that you never thought would be possible. I believe that any goals will be achievable if you follow what you’re truly passionate about.”