Journalism?

Question

When I begin college I want to major in Journalism. What subjects would I have to take in college? And what different types of jobs could I get with a degree in journalism? And is it necessary to get a master's degree too? what is the average salary? is it very difficult to get a job in after college?

Answer 1

As far as I know, the field of journalism is highly competitive. There are so many that take journalism or communications as their major in college it seems. What can perhaps help one's job prospects is getting as much experience as one can during schooling. Working on the student/university newspaper, if have broadcasting opportunites there, perhaps working as intern at newspaper or book publishing company can give you a bit of an edge. And if you are unsure whether to major in journalism just yet, you may be able to declare either 'undecided' for a certain period of time (but please do check with your school counselor) or declare 'liberal arts' if they do have a liberal arts curriculum.

Answer 2

Truthfully, I don't think that most future journalists should even major in journalism. I've worked in communications all my life -- including a number of years at daily newspapers -- and I've found that some of the worst journalists were journalism majors. Some of the best, meanwhile, had concentrations in history and English.

OK, so I majored in Communications/Journalism, but I was fortunate that my professors weren't overly political in their curriculum. Sadly, I think too many teachers/professors today warp future journalists with the wrong ideas.

My advice would be to load up on history and English. If you desperately want to major in journalism, go ahead. But I'd definitely lean toward a double minor in history (an understanding of the past and how it relates to the current) and English (a grasp of the language and how to effectively use it). Honestly, the minors will likely benefit you a lot more down the road.

Whichever route you take, always remember to respect facts over truth. You might think they're the same thing, but facts are concrete. Truth, as it has come to be defined, is highly relative.

Good luck!