Why would anyone major in journalism? Here's an NPR answer. I think it is still a hard sell to convince young people to go into a profession that has a salary structure in reverse. Especially with the cost of higher education today.
Between rent and student loans there won't be much left over for a concert or two, but there may be a need for a second job.
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9 comments:
Cal Thomas once advised me to skip journalism school altogether and, at best, MINOR in journalism. Major in a field you want to specialize in as a reporter.
A girl I knew in the service who graduated from Pennsylvania's Messiah College with a journalism degree strongly advised me against getting a journalism degree.
I would personally advise aspiring journalists to major in English and minor in a field of specialty. If they want to be a business writer, minor in business. If they want to be a travel writer, perhaps a minor in anthropology, etc.
I 100 percent agree. After a couple years in journalism school, I regretted it, but it was too late to change.
About the only people I know still touting a journalism degree are those who are teaching journalism and are scared to death for their professional futures.
Anonymous 14:05, you nailed it. Ask the out-of-touch, tenured journalism professors who think going into the field is so "exciting" if they'd be willing to make $20K a year with either no benefits or expensive ones. My guess is no.
I agree with all. Major in something that you're passionate about - you never know how it will help you in your journalism career. Take the journalism courses to learn the ropes, study something else to learn about something with substance.
Yes, but when journalists apply for jobs, most employers look for two things -- experience and a degree. A lot will pass by those without degrees unless none of the people with degrees look like they are worth anything. If you're applying for the same job as 30 other people, or more, and they have degrees and you don't, you're going to be out of luck, sad to say.
I think you could make the case that a college degree in many instances and jobs doesn't mean crap. Experience is more important. I know a lot of people with college degrees that are useless in their field (not speaking necessarily of journalists here).
If college was about teaching you just about the information you needed for your career, then it wouldn't be so bad. But they wouldn't be able to convince you to stay there for four years giving them money. And no one would take all the bs classes that they require.
I have a journalism degree. I leaned more in my first six months working for an actual newspaper than I did in four years of college.
Eric, I know I learned more about journalism as a reporter and editor for The State News than I ever did in class. And I didn't have to pay for the time at The State News, unless you consider the toll it took on my gpa.
I would love to hear from those who worked for decades as a journalist without a degree. Journalism taught as a degree is relatively new considering a relationship to history, English and other majors. In the 40s and 50s you were more apt to find industrious, curious, adept-at-the-English language types (and mostly male) in Journalism careers. In television news, Barbara Walters, Ed Bradley and Walter Cronkite were educated, but not in "journalism." My father was a newspaper writer for many years in the late 50s and 60s and never even attended college. I agree that a major in journalism today is a huge waste of money, but a minor would be fine.
I do not have a degree in journalism, and in my experience, employers are far more concerned with your experience and skills than they are whether you have a degree. Granted, graduating from college is a big help. But every so often, high-school dropouts like Quentin Tarantino and high school barely-graduateds like Stanley Kubrick will have great success in their field.
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