From Cork to Sydney: Joe Costigan gears up for news producer role at Sky News
Joe Costigan, a recent journalism graduate from the University of Limerick, is preparing to take a major step in his career as he heads to Sydney, Australia, to work as a news producer for Sky News.
His journey from UL to Australia came quicker than expected. Rather than going down the traditional job search – it was Joe’s networking that made the difference. Just days after finding out about the role, he decided to move halfway across the world – and will depart Sunday, October 20.
“I think we started talking about it on a Tuesday,” Joe begins. “Maybe by Friday, I decided I was moving to Australia.”
Coming from Crosshaven, Co Cork, Joe has always been passionate about journalism.
He knew as early as his Transition Year days that this was the career path he wanted.
After attending secondary school in Cork City, he chose UL for its hands-on journalism course, which offered him a chance to explore a variety of media – TV, radio, print, and digital. “I loved pretty much every second of the course. I never once doubted that I picked the wrong one,” he says.
During his time at UL, Joe gained invaluable experience through opportunities like the Limerick Voice, where he and his team worked tirelessly following the passing of their Editor-in-Chief Joe Drennan, to deliver a publication that would honour him. “It made it really, really difficult, but we were all just so passionate about keeping it going and making sure that it was something that he would be proud of.”
As he prepares to relocate, Joe’s family and friends are proud but emotional about his move. “Everyone is excited for me, but the goodbyes are starting to feel more real,” he admits. “I feel like I’ve cheated the system a little bit, but when these things come up, you kind of just have to roll with it and see what happens.”
For current journalism students, Joe’s advice is simple: take every opportunity that comes your way.
“Even if it’s not exactly what you want to do, it all builds up your portfolio and makes you more versatile.”
His journey so far shows that hard work, networking, and trying new experiences can lead to unexpected and exciting job opportunities.
“We are delighted for Joe on this fantastic achievement, which is a testament to his journalistic talent,” says Dr Kathryn Hayes, Course Director, BA in Journalism and Digital Communication.
“Joe was always an extremely hardworking student in UL with great passion and creative skills. It is great to see so many of our journalism graduates securing jobs in news titles both nationally and internationally.”