What is your job? What do you do every day?

I have been a journalist for almost 20 years. This is not my only job, but it is definitely the most important. During my professional career, I have worked in various media, and as a result, I have gained extensive experience. I started my profession practically from scratch, as a radio journalist. After eight months, I was promoted to the position of head of the radio station Radio Fan FM (later taken over by Radio Eska). In addition, cooperation with the regional weekly “Nowe Podkarpacie” was quickly established, which continues to this day. My professional career was developing rapidly. Further experience included the position of editor-in-chief of a local government weekly. At the same time, I was gaining experience as a PR specialist – I was a specialist in… contacts with the media of the Jasło City Hall. The following years were spent working as a journalist in the daily newspaper “Nowiny”. After the liquidation of the regional branch of Nowiny in Jasło, I decided to run my own business. Since 2012, I have been running a media and publishing company, I am the publisher of two Internet portals: the regional www.twojejaslo.pl and the national www.naszewinnice.pl, which is associated with an increasingly richer and different field of my work every year. Here I am not just a journalist – I am also a PR specialist, a well-known promoter of Polish winemaking in the winemaking community. I already have three books – richly illustrated enotouristic guides to Polish vineyards. For several years I have been the secretary of the Podkarpacie Winemakers’ Association, an international wine judge, and as a hobby, I also run a several-acre vineyard. For over a year I have been the president of the Foundation for the Development and Promotion of Winemaking “Galicja Vitis”, whose flagship offer is the Podkarpacka Wine Academy in Jasło (www.akademiawina.org.). I conduct wine training related to enotourism, wine marketing, wine tasting and wine prices. As you can see, it is difficult for me to answer in one sentence what my job is. But the most important thing is that our work is also our passion, and for me it is.

How do you remember your period of study at the University of Information Technology and Management?

Very nice. It was a nice period in my life. I met many wonderful people, lecturers whom I have great respect and appreciation for and many wonderful younger colleagues who took what they did seriously and with passion. The study atmosphere is very good and friendly for students. Additionally, there is a scholarship system encouraging students to study.

Was what you learned at UITM useful?

I decided to study journalism as a person with a fairly established position in the profession, a journalist with extensive experience, from whom no one required a diploma in the field of study, and a person responsible for the image of local government authorities in the media. However, I have never regretted this decision, not for a moment. Previously, I gained experience in the profession somewhat intuitively, somewhat by observing more experienced colleagues in the industry. Studies allowed me to systematize and supplement my knowledge. During my studies, I became convinced that the professional path I chose was the right move.

What advice do you have for younger colleagues studying at UITM?

Live and work with passion. This is the basis for success in every field, as well as satisfaction and pleasure. However, you have to be careful, because then you can easily become a workaholic, which unfortunately happened to me to a large extent.

Do you have a motto that guides you in life?

Like most of us, I have several of them, depending on the area of life we are talking about. Referring to our conversation, I will quote the words of Hilary Hinton “Zig” Ziglar, a leading American motivational trainer and writer: “The elevator to success does not work, but the staircase is always open.”