When thinking about a college major, I thought about going for an English degree. But when telling family members my major choice, they all said, "English. What are you going to do with that?" My next aspiration was journalism. With a journalism degree, they all said, "Journalism. So you're going to be a journalist." No one is an Englishist, so I suppose this was my error.
I love journalism, and I love writing articles for newspapers, however, I highly doubt I will find the perfect print job. I own a house and have a chubby Chihuahua to feed, so I kind of need to make some money and have a steady income right out of college. I got to thinking about it, and although I may be able to find a print job I would like, it most likely wouldn't have the income or benefits I would want to go along with it, especially because I don't really want to move out of the area yet.
There are lots of careers, however, that a journalism degree would be useful for. Book publishing, for example, needs copy editors--in the books I have read this fall, I have found at least 10 errors that made it to print; even in a Dickens book! I thought they raised the bar a little higher for classics! I would love to write fiction, too, like a lot of journalists would, and a job at a book publishing company could get your foot in the door.
Big employers like State Farm have marketing and public relations departments; all of which need things copy edited and written. And with employers like State Farm, there is generally an opportunity to rise on the pay scale if you stay with them for a while.
For any advertising job, a background in multimedia journalism and layouts is helpful.
With doomsday prophecies for the future of print journalism, at least physical copies, this definitely helps boost my morale.
Hopefully I will find a good job of some sort.
8 comments:
I think a journalism degree is an English degree with better job prospects. But that's just me.
Sometimes, I feel like I'm learning less in college than my biology or accounting major friends who are learning solid facts. But, then I think that journalism offers a lot of possibilities. You do not need to work in a strictly journalistic job to make your diploma useful. And, graduate school always offers the option to further your education in a completely different area. My dad, with the shrinking job market, has hinted at grad. school for me. Either way, there are options with a journalism degree. I have absolutely no idea what I'll do after college, I have my dream jobs in mind, but what I'll actually do is a mystery. So, I keep telling myself that I have options!
I'm beginning to think I should have majored in English.
It's not that I don't like journalism, it's just that my passion is in writing. I love interviewing and writing profiles, but I don't feel that makes me the proper journalist. I'd like to be a writer. What major is that again?
LAS Confessions, Part 3:
For my first two years at this fine University, I pursued the vaunted "life of the mind" -- I was a philosophy major. And then I added an English one. And then I started working at the Daily Illini (and now I edit at the Buzz!). Now, when I'm talking with friends or sources, I refer to myself as a "reformed philosophy major."
As a journalist, I seek to lead an applied life of the mind.
Does that even mean anything? No.
Don't worry. You came to college for an education, right? You're already far ahead of the masses. A journalism degree will go far in any field. Many people still "fall" into careers. Look at me, I'm graduating with a journalism degree in May that I'll probably never use, but I don't regret pursuing it 1 bit.
Agreed. You'll find a job. And if you're willing to go outside of newspapers, which is seems you are, you'll probably make even more money. You'd have to sacrifice writing those articles you like, possibly, but maybe you could exchange that for working for a company you have an interest in, as well as what you would be doing there. So, do PR for a Chubby Chihuahua Association ;)
Very good points, Caitlin. A journalism degree is one that opens up many, many opportunities. Talented writers and skilled editors are hard to come by.
And everyone is worried about the job market now, and I'm sure you are as well, as you pointed out. What will probably help is having an open mind. Some great job will hopefully occur for you and for all the rest of us.
My philosophy is this: The job market sucks as a whole right now. Nobody, even accountants, are getting jobs.
So although money is an issue for everyone, you should find a job you truly love out of college. And if that's English, then that's what you should do. The pay will be small, but not incredibly different than an incredibly boring journalism job.
As long as our economy is sucking, there is less risk for people to do what they TRULY want to do.
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