2. Education Needed
• While any enthusiastic teenager or passionate millennial could make it in the
world of journalism with enough grit and hard work, a bachelors degree is
necessary for any aspiring journalist to be considered an eligible competitor
in this particularly cutthroat profession; even more is needed to truly be
successful. Most companies require further experience in the field.
3. Required Training
• Because most top-dollar companies ardently promote prior experience
before giving the job away, aspiring journalists must have an internship with a
professional business (i.e. a professional blog, newspaper, magazine, radio
station, or television news network). Whether the internship is through a
local network or an extensive corporation, any effort to dive head first into
real experiences within the field is impressive in the eyes of an employer.
4. Where Can I Work?
• Depending upon the specific type of journalism hopeful dives into, an
aspiring writer can work almost anywhere. If they start off as freelancers, or
even eventually own their own business, they can work from the comfort of
their own home. If a journalist works as a constant employee of a company,
though, they will most likely work within a specific building.
5. Salary
• The average starting salaries for students fresh out of university ranges from
$36,000 to $70,500, depending upon the focus of the graduate’s major.
(According to
http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Bachelor_of_Arts_(BA),_J
ournalism/Salary)
• The average ten-year salary is $49,679 according to a poll taken in September
of 2016 (https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/journalist-salary-
SRCH_KO0,10.htm)
6. Where Could I Live?
• Most sizable opportunities for this job field lie within large cities (most
notably New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta). Most cities can,
however, afford to give many opportunities within their own perimeters. The
possibilities of locations are endless.
7. Long-Term Outlook
• While there will always be a need in society to have an outlet of new feed,
regulated opinions, and sources of factual literature, the need for journalists
is predicted to decline over the next ten years.
• According to http://study.com/career_as_a_journalist.html , there will be a
9% decline in growth for this profession between the years 2014-2024.
8. Turnover Rate
• Because journalism in and of itself is a very diverse profession and can even
be experienced through the comfort of one’s own home, a turnover rate for
a topic as large as this is unavailable. For those self-employed, the job is
always constant, and for those working in large corporations, turn-over rates
vary from being mild to extremely high.
9. Working Conditions
• Because most journalists who actively work in the field are continually working with a news
publishing company, they are more restricted in terms of their working environments.
Journalists usually work within the confines of television or radio station studios, or simply a
newsroom or an office.
• There will most likely be occasions in which a writer would have to venture outside the usual
work-place to gather information or conduct an interview, so they are still able to experience
freedom within their jobs.
• Most journalists, especially those who work for high-end news reporting companies, have
strict deadlines throughout the year.
• They may have to endure unpredictable weather, crime scenes, and even war zones to ensure
a story.
10. Nature of the Work
• Journalists work, usually through the outlet of a professional news network
of varying types, to provide the public with the knowledge and context for
entertainment (whether it be politics, the economy, weather, or movies and
general entertainment of the like). While it originally took the platform of
divulging the truth with little to no bias involved, journalism has recently
taken a turn that further widens the spectrum of informative reporting.
Nowadays, journalists not only provide a basic outline of the facts, but they
also interject their own opinions regarding what the topic reported truly
means, and how it can affect average citizens locally, nationally and globally.
11. Related Occupations
• Factual writing can be expressed through many occupations: freelance
journalism, radio broadcasting, reporting through television programs, or
permanent researching and writing for newspaper or magazine companies.
12. My Type of Journalism
• Because I am just now discovering the real-life applications for writing practically as
a career, I am entering a world where anything goes; I must, however, consider what
I write and how it may be perceived. Nowadays, it is acceptable to include your
opinions within an article or news program. This is only tolerated, though, so long
as there are clear and unadulterated facts evident within the passage and its
overarching theme relates directly to the concept or action being reported. It has the
possibility to provide myself, and others, with an outlet to uphold our own morals,
while not hindering those of possible coworkers and readers. It’s a landmine
through which I must carefully tread; if I can maneuver through it with particular
caution, though, this career could prove to be very satisfying and worthwhile.
