Anyone here a journalist?

Thoughts_Arrive

My career consultant told me that I write very well, and it has me thinking....
I would like to go back to university and study journalism.
But my financial situation may not allow for that.

Anyone here that has studied journalism or currently works in this field?
If so how is the pay and is it worth it?

jethrojam420

I went to school to be a freelance. Switched after a semester. Too many free blogs out there, too many newspapers going out of business. The pay is great if you make it, but to be honest it's kind of like being a career musician or baseball player...those that make it get paid really well....those that don't are forced to work in a factory for the rest of their life with a bum english degree from a state school...


But I digress

Thoughts_Arrive

I just spoke to a friend, he told me it is a waste of time.
Very hard to get into a major newspaper, if you don't you are stuck doing shitty jobs for shit pay.
Hmmmmm!

pjfan31

I studied it... I wanted to be a sports journo...

It fell in my lap that I got a meeting with the head of sky sports... He said he would start me at the bottom for free, and work my way up... I never called him back... And now I am just over half way through my teaching degree...

Life has many roads... many directions and many choices...

Thoughts_Arrive

pjfan31 wrote:

I studied it... I wanted to be a sports journo...

It fell in my lap that I got a meeting with the head of sky sports... He said he would start me at the bottom for free, and work my way up... I never called him back... And now I am just over half way through my teaching degree...

Life has many roads... many directions and many choices...

I am also considering teaching.
I finished my degree, I think I only need to do an extra year to be qualified to teach high school and tafe.
But having a mortgage over my head means I cannot go back to study, I need to work to pay the repayments.
I fkd up, but when you are 18 it is hard to choose what you want to do in life, hell I still don't know.

pjfan31

Thoughts_Arrive wrote:

pjfan31 wrote:

I studied it... I wanted to be a sports journo...

It fell in my lap that I got a meeting with the head of sky sports... He said he would start me at the bottom for free, and work my way up... I never called him back... And now I am just over half way through my teaching degree...

Life has many roads... many directions and many choices...

I am also considering teaching.
I finished my degree, I think I only need to do an extra year to be qualified to teach high school and tafe.
But having a mortgage over my head means I cannot go back to study, I need to work to pay the repayments.
I fkd up, but when you are 18 it is hard to choose what you want to do in life, hell I still don't know.

What about HECS???

Thoughts_Arrive

Don't go there lol
What irks me is the lack of job opportunity after completing some degrees (Marketing I am looking at you), yet the government takes our money.
Imagine doing uni again, I will be in deep debt lol

pjfan31

Well if you look into it... I know it is expensive... but if they just take it out of your tax return each year, you wont miss it too much...

Also if you have degree already, you should get some credits...

Thoughts_Arrive

pjfan31 wrote:

Well if you look into it... I know it is expensive... but if they just take it out of your tax return each year, you wont miss it too much...

Also if you have degree already, you should get some credits...

True that, I got about 6k owing, not too bad.
Not sure credits are given for marketing degree.
But from what my mate told me I am doubting journalism based on the limited opportunities.

pjfan31

Yeh, well with my degree we have to do 2 subjects in 4 key learning areas (as well as the core education subjects)

So English, Maths, Science, Hsie and what ever else there is art pdhpe...

But if any of the subject you have taken fall in these categories you will be fine.

xavier mcdaniel

I wouldn't recommend it, especially if you already have a stable full-time job. If you want to do it on the side, that's one thing, but to drop what you've been doing and try doing it full-time is risky. I do it now and in the past I've had office jobs while doing the games at night for a defunct wire service, but now I'm struggling to find a job like that to supplement what I make, so much so that I'm considering taking real estate licensing courses at some point this year.

sandgroper

Thoughts_Arrive wrote:

My career consultant told me that I write very well, and it has me thinking....

How about a copywriter? The ones at the ad agency i work for work alongside the art directors in the creative department, funny bunch of people they are.

Cradles Broken Glass

My bachelor's is in journalism, I did it for three months and hated every minute of it. To be fair though, my town has one poorly ran newspaper. I think that it could be an awesome career depending upon your location. Originally I wanted to be a music journalist, one kid and a husband later I find that moving away from family to pursue that would be difficult. Also, depending on where you are reporting, be aware that you might have to go in the middle of the night to report on a meth lab explosion, it comes with the territory. I guess what I'm saying is, consider how the rest of your life would fit with a journalism career. Also, the joke in the communications building was that other than teachers, we were the poorest paid professionals. The irony is, I'm now in grad school to become a teacher.

Edit: Jethro makes a good point, I think that blogs and the internet are a game changer. In ten years, I doubt there will be many newspapers left.

Thoughts_Arrive

sandgroper wrote:

Thoughts_Arrive wrote:

My career consultant told me that I write very well, and it has me thinking....

How about a copywriter? The ones at the ad agency i work for work alongside the art directors in the creative department, funny bunch of people they are.

Not sure what they do?