Why does one become a journalist

Working as a journalist is a popular job choice; be aware what experience and qualifications you need so you can beat the competition. Common routes into journalism are to take an undergraduate degree in journalism, or to take an undergraduate degree in a different subject followed by a postgraduate journalism qualification.

At both levels, there are degrees available in different areas, eg newspaper journalism, broadcast journalism and magazine journalism. Alternatively, it is sometimes possible to get in with a non-journalism degree and no journalism postgraduate qualifications, or with an apprenticeship or similar programme instead of a degree. Find out about how to choose the best degree for a career in journalism. The most typical first job is as a junior reporter, working on any stories that are allocated to you.

However, your salary is likely to be fairly low. Some reporters freelance for more than one news organisation, although this is more common once you have experience and contacts. I want to be a journalist because I want to learn as much about the world as possible through these stories and have the chance to teach others to see the world in the same way. Tyler Hammel: I enjoy tying ideas and thoughts together that may seem complicated and trying to distill them to something more general.

Journalism is my passion; it instills fire in my belly and makes me feel alive. I wander if you feel as I do, if your committed to your program as I am. The average journalist might get to work fairly early, perhaps around the 8am mark.

To give you a better idea of if you have what it takes to be a good journalist, check out the five essential qualities listed below. Journalists research, write, edit, proofread and file news stories, features and articles. Their pieces are used on television and radio or within magazines, journals and newspapers, in print and online. The key objective of a Journalist is to gather information, write news pieces, and present the news in an honest and balanced manner.

In addition to investigating and reporting on current events, they also work on articles and features that update and influence public opinion. I want to tell people important things in a way that they will understand and care about.

Journalism is how I share myself most comfortably. To me, journalism is all about untold stories. Take my enterprise piece. People want to feel something, and I think the best way to do that is by writing about unknown and interesting lives to give readers a new perspective. Jessica Nolte: I am not sure that I want to be a journalist.

I do know that with whatever I do I want to be an effective and conscientious communicator. I want to approach life and work using critical thinking skills.

I want to think about how each issue affects someone. I want to put aside my personal bias and seek truth. I want to communicate in a way that effectively reaches others through words, images, graphics, etc. Dai Ja Norman: I would like to write editorials and bring light-hearted news to the forefront.

While earning a journalism degree, you will take courses that cover crucial journalism skills, such as media ethics, researching, interviewing and writing compelling copy. You will also learn about the different mediums for modern journalism, including print, online and video. Related: 9 Types of Journalism to Explore. College provides an excellent opportunity to gain experience prior to entering the workforce. Journalism is a field where it is essential to acquire as much experience as possible in order to demonstrate your abilities, even when applying for an entry-level job.

If you know the type of media you wish to pursue, you should seek out work in that field early in your schooling, such as working for the school newspaper or radio station. Working in student media is an effective method to begin building a portfolio of the work you are most proud of and you feel best represents your abilities as a reporter.

If you are unsure of the type of reporting or area of specialization you prefer, you will get exposed to many different areas during your education, and you can further supplement those opportunities by joining student media and trying different roles. Another method to help you begin building a portfolio of experience is to launch your own blog.

When creating a personal blog, you have full creative control to choose the subject, format and tone of the writing. If you already know the field you wish to enter, focus your blog on writing about that subject.

An aspiring sports writer can create a blog offering analysis of NFL games every week, for example, while an aspiring political broadcaster is better off creating a blog that promotes videos from their YouTube channel where they provide commentary on current events in the political world.

If you successfully build a following for your blog, it can lead to significantly more professional opportunities, and it could even give you the chance to monetize the blog directly. Even if your blog does not draw in a large audience, you are still improving your skills and job prospects. By regularly creating content, you are both preparing yourself for the work you will be doing in your career and also giving yourself many opportunities to create work that you would be happy to include in your portfolio.

Read more: How To Start a Blog. Although many aspiring writers believe that a personal blog and a portfolio are synonymous, you should actually create a separate portfolio in order to highlight your best work. When applying for a job where you can submit an online link, you don't want to leave it up to chance that the hiring manager reads the best articles on your blog, so it is best to pick and choose your best work to create a professional and polished portfolio.

For printed submissions, a portfolio also makes it easier to find the work you want to share. Your portfolio should be highly curated, with a selection of only the work you are most proud of. If you have covered a range of subjects that are different in style or tone, create separate sections in your portfolio for the different types of writing you have done.

This can help prospective employers efficiently find the example work that is most relevant to their media operation. When applying for journalism jobs or other writing jobs where your journalism skills can be applied, it is likely that the employer will request sample work in addition to your resume. Include the link to your portfolio in the contact section of your resume so it is easily accessible to employers.