Advice from the Pros
Steven Morris June 28, 2009
When given the opportunity to talk with a professional, there are many questions that I would love to ask. This is especially true when the said individual is an expert in a field that I am considering majoring in. Unfortunately, it is not possible to reach through the screen and have a sit-down interview, so I have to make due with what is available. I think that this assignment was extremely helpful and eye-opening in many ways, and I learned a lot about those is media and what their advice is for aspiring journalists, reporters, etc. Some of these tips, of course, stand out more than others.
One such example is what Cary Darling of the Fort Worth Star – Telegram said about college training and preparation. I think that this question is the most important one that can be asked because, of course, we are currently at Elon trying to figure out what we want to do with our lives and how to get there. Many of us, including myself, do not yet even know what we want to major in, much less how to prepare now to have a successful career in the future.
Ms. Darling talked a great deal about finding a place to specialize in because the journalism field is “overcrowded and underpaid.” I hear this a lot from many different people and so it is definitely something that concerns me. I would rather not major in communications only to be forced to go back to school in the future because I could not find a job that pays well or is personally satisfying. Ms. Darling discusses how an individual who speaks a foreign language or who has a certain specialty in something such as the medical field will stand out, and will immensely increase their chances of having a great career. While I already knew much of this, it helps to have this reminder.
Ms. Darling’s advice leads into the next point I found helpful: Keren Rivas of the Burlington Times – News, answering a question about how to prepare in college for a career in media in the area of technology. She noted that the field has changed a great deal because of advances in technology, and that colleges are starting to realize this, thereby integrating it into their curriculums. Her biggest piece of advice was to be “versatile.” While specializing in something is very important, that does not mean we have to be exclusive in what we know. Having knowledge about a variety of topics in a field can only help, and familiarizing one’s self with various forms of technology is proving to be a necessity.
I think a big problem with many students is that a lot of them go through college focusing on what makes them happy, and others focus on what will make them money. I believe that you need a combination of the two. Both of these journalists, in addition to the others who were interviewed, gave great advice that I think will help all of us in our quest to create a bright future in the industry.
