Aida Alami, reporter, Casablanca, Morocco; covered Morocco and Tunisia during 2011:

I finished journalism school in 2009 and I had post-graduation depression for a while. There were no jobs and very scarce opportunities for someone with little experience in the field. The Tunisian revolution brought back a big smile on my face and made me realize I had picked the best job for my personality.

I truly believe that 2011 was God's gift to journalists. The industry had been suffering for years from lack of funds and closing of international bureaus all over the world.

When the Arab youth toppled their dictators, they gave us - journalists - a real mission, a new purpose. And it seemed that many newsrooms managed to get enough money to increase their international coverage.

I have always wanted my work to be meaningful and it really had become that after the revolutions. I mostly cover Morocco, which hasn't had a change of regime but has seen, like its neighboring countries, a rise in political awareness - people took to the street screaming against social injustice.

I can only say positive things about the freelance life: flexibility, the luxury to do stories I am interested in and a life that is constantly changing. I think it is also very important to be a part of an organization like ARA, it allows us in different countries to not feel so isolated and have people we can reach out to in case we need advice on anything.

While I am not sure for how long I will be doing this, I am not worried right now about the not having medical insurance or problems because of an unstable income.

For now, I am just learning as much as I can and enjoying one of the greatest jobs in the world.