Tulay Cetingulec has been writing for Al-Monitor since August 2014. She is a Turkish journalist who has worked for Sabah and other Turkish newspapers and magazines such as Dunya, Nokta and Aktuel, covering finance and politics. She has also been a news programmer at Turkish TV Channel 6 and TGRT.
Al-Monitor: Why did you decide to become a journalist?
Cetingulec: As a university student, I was a member of a photography association. I bought a camera with scholarship money. In the photo safaris the association organized, we not only took pictures but traveled across Turkey and met people from various walks of life. My passion for the camera grew and I began to see a picture everywhere I looked. The exhibitions, contests and other social activities alleviated the pressure of the economy and management classes at university. Upon graduation, I found an administrative job at a newspaper, just by chance. In time, I began to do stories on culture and arts, unwittingly making a debut in journalism. A year later, the newly founded Sabah daily offered me a position as a reporter. I was to earn less than what I got from my administrative job. Yet, I accepted the offer because I was to do the job I loved.
Al-Monitor: Did you have female role models to look up to when you were first starting out? Who?
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