Job opportunities and career options available to journalism grads (besides the obvious)
90Median Salary by Job - Degree: Journalism (United States)
As many professionals in the industry will say, competition is fierce for journalism jobs. Many won't make the cut no matter how talented they are. Even great newspapers like the San Jose Mercury News have resorted to telemarketing and setting up booths outside of grocery stores to sell their product... and as a journalism grad, I still passed them up as I left Safeway. Even the Peace Corps doesn't really want journalism grads.
But don't be too sad; you may not get that dream reporting job for the moment, but there are a wealth of other great jobs you can go for and likely acquire after graduation!
- Editing: This is great if you've had experience editing for a school newspaper. You can start by editing for a low price, then build up your resume. You can edit books, web pages, or anything else. That's something I'm currently doing right now.
- Public relations: Chances are that in college, you've had at least an assignment or two that required you to write a press release. PR isn't much of a far cry from regular journalism, and it can be much more interesting and rewarding than you think. There are a lot of opportunities in this field, and you may end up working for a very notable company that would make a nice spot on your resume.
- Technical writing: You can do a little extra work for a technical writing license and work for tech-y companies... although if you have a real love for literature and creative writing, this may not be the road for you. You translate what engineers and other such professionals write and edit it to make it sound like, well, English.
- Sales and marketing: When I put myself on various job-finding websites, the responses were basically all marketing-related. I had worked in a marketing department in college, and my three years there made me a wanted lady at entry-level.
- Business: There are way too many financial reporter jobs around. Businesses and companies always need someone to research, investigate, interview, and write reports for employees or the public. It doesn't sound fun to me, but someone's gotta do it.
- Web work: You have probably taken at least a class or two related to multimedia in journalism. Maybe you've worked on the school website or any other company. A lot of journalism schools know that the web is a vast and rapidly growing arena of opportunity, to you may want to take a few extra classes in Dreamweaver and other web development and/or design programs. Be as fluent in computer programming languages as possible.
- Government and non-profit: Jobs creating brochures, newsletters, and other forms of communication are often available. As a journalism grad, you should be good at taking information and communicating it to the public in a straightforward and efficient manner.
No matter where you think you'll end up after graduating with a journalism degree, stay determined, even if it means taking on another internship or freelancing. Take opportunities as they come if it interests you. Who says your job has to be related to your major? Don't get stuck doing something because it's all that's available. Follow your heart. Who knows? That dream job might come around again... after layoffs.
Additional resources
- JournalismJobs.com -- The Job Board for Media Professionals
- PayScale - Salary Survey, Salaries, Wages, Compensation Information and Analysis
Excellent analysis comparing your job profile to the salary and compensation packages of people whose skills and experiences match yours. - PayScale - Journalism Salary Search
Excellent analysis comparing your job profile to the salary and compensation packages of people whose skills and experiences match yours.
Journalism jobs RSS (Journalism.co.uk)
- Freelance Art Editor - Future Publishing - Future Plus - Future Publishing Ltd - England
About The Role Are you a creative freelance Art Editor with proven experience in customer publishing? With a growing workload and client list FuturePlus, Future's thriving content agency, are looking for freelancers. So if you have demonstrable experience as an Art Editor within customer publishing and are excited at the chance to freelance for FuturePlus why not get in touch. About Us Future is an international special-interest media company creating over 180 publications, websites and events, with strong portfolios in the technology, games, music, automotive and sports sectors. FuturePlus, it's the customer publishing arm of Future plc. Britain's fifth largest consumer magazine publisher and works in partnership with some of Britain's most famous brands, plus some new ones such as; Sky Movies, Tesco, O2, PC World, Do Crafts and Ancestry to name a few. From magazines to microsites, ezines to full website launches and email newsletter campaigns FuturePlus delivers original, immersive, award-wining content that works on any platform. How To Apply IMPORTANT - Please only apply using the link below, not the apply online button. http://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=am9icy4wMDcwMC4xODI4QGZ1dHVyZS5hcGxpdHJhay5jb20 To apply for freelance Art Editor opportunities with FuturePlus please upload your CV and covering letter. Within your CV document please include PDF examples of your work Date posted: 25/11/09 14:46 Closing date: 23/12/09 Salary: Competitive Location: Bath, England, England Categories: art and design | Click here to view contact details or apply online (you will need to register/login as a jobseeker first to make online applications) Subscribe to our daily (Mon-Fri) email or Twitter job alerts to get more jobs like this. - 6 hours ago
- Freelance Editor - Future Publishing - Future Plus - Future Publishing Ltd - England
About The Role Are you a creative freelance Editor with proven experience in customer publishing? With a growing workload and client list FuturePlus, Future's thriving content agency, are looking for freelancers. So if you have demonstrable experience as an Editor within customer publishing and are excited at the chance to freelance for FuturePlus why not get in touch. About Us Future is an international special-interest media company creating over 180 publications, websites and events, with strong portfolios in the technology, games, music, automotive and sports sectors. FuturePlus, is the customer publishing arm of Future plc. Britain's fifth largest consumer magazine publisher and works in partnership with some of Britain's most famous brands, plus some new ones such as; Sky Movies, Tesco, O2, PC World, Do Crafts and Ancestry to name a few. From magazines to microsites, ezines to full website launches and email newsletter campaigns FuturePlus delivers original, immersive, award-wining content that works on any platform. How To Apply IMPORTANT - please only apply using the link below. not the apply online button. http://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=am9icy40NDk3Mi4xODI4QGZ1dHVyZS5hcGxpdHJhay5jb20 To apply for freelance Editor opportunities with FuturePlus please upload your CV and covering letter. Within your CV document please include examples of your work. Date posted: 25/11/09 14:41 Closing date: 23/12/09 Salary: Competitive Location: Bath, England, England Categories: editors and management | Click here to view contact details or apply online (you will need to register/login as a jobseeker first to make online applications) Subscribe to our daily (Mon-Fri) email or Twitter job alerts to get more jobs like this. - 6 hours ago
- Camera and Photography Kit Reviews Editor - Digital Camera - Future Publishing Ltd - England
About The Role Do you want to combine your passion for photography with a cutting-edge media career on one of the UK's biggest photography magazines? If you love cameras and photographic kit this could be the perfect job for you! You will take responsibility for Digital Camera's crucial kit section and get your hands on the latest digital SLRs and new accessories before anyone else. You will plan the content, suggest distinctive ideas and angles for reviews, write your own articles, test the gear on location and illustrate each article with your own fantastic photographs. You will also have the opportunity to attend national and international events and the chance to play an active role on our new website PhotoRadar.com. About You You will have an in-depth knowledge of cameras, accessories, software and key technologies. You will combine your proven ability and passion for photography with excellent writing skills and preferably experience of writing reviews and group tests. Not only will you be a team player, but you'll also have superb organisation and planning skills and be able to work under pressure to hit deadlines. You will also have the ability to build strong industry contacts in order to get the kit ahead of our rivals. The ability to work out of hours in order to get the best photographs and be willing to travel internationally is essential for the role. What We Can Offer You In addition to a competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement and comprehensive training programmes you will have the chance to develop your journalism skills in print, online and video. You will be able to put your stamp on the reviews section and combine your passion for photography with a cutting-edge media career! About Us Future is an international special-interest media company creating over 180 publications, websites and events, with strong portfolios in the technology, games, music, automotive and sports sectors. Focusing on both camera and digital darkroom skills, Digital Camera helps photographers take their best-ever images. A showcase for incredible photography from around the world, each issue is packed with practical picture-taking advice, essential Photoshop guides and straight-talking camera tests. With more practical tips and techniques than any other title, Digital Camera is all the inspiration today's photographer needs. How To Apply For a full job description please visit our website at www.futurenet.com/jobs. To help us ensure we select the right candidates for interview please upload your CV and covering letter online, focusing on why you are the right person for the job. You will also need to indicate what salary range you would ideally be looking for. IMPORTANT - please only apply using the link below, not the apply online button. http://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=am9icy43MTUwNy4xODI4QGZ1dHVyZS5hcGxpdHJhay5jb20 Within your CV document please provide a 300-word review of any piece of photographic gear and submit 5 of your best photos (or a link to your online portfolio). Date posted: 25/11/09 14:34 Closing date: 23/12/09 Salary: competitive + excellent benefits Location: Bath, England , England Categories: section editors | Click here to view contact details or apply online (you will need to register/login as a jobseeker first to make online applications) Subscribe to our daily (Mon-Fri) email or Twitter job alerts to get more jobs like this. - 6 hours ago
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Comments
Well, in looking for business journalism jobs, a lot of listings don't say anthing about a business degree, only knowledge probably sufficient enough to show in a job interview :)
Sounds good. Guess my associate wouldn't hurt them. Thanks :-)
Whitney05 says:
17 months ago
I like the research, investigate, and report writing for the business section. Well, not so much under business, but generally speaking. In this area, do you think that a business degree would help out getting a job in the area?