Running head: CAREER PATH JOURNALISM Palmer 1

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1 Running head: CAREER PATH JOURNALISM Palmer 1 Career Path Journalism Michael Palmer King s College

2 Running Head: CAREER PATH JOURNALISM Palmer 2 Career Path Journalism A risky but rewarding career is journalism. Uncertainty slips into my mind because the pay may not be able to put the bread on the table. However math and science are not my two favorite things in the world therefore writing is my passion. Writing for the newspaper may seem glamorous. However according to (Reinardy, 2009) the tangential elements that tend to wear on journalists deadlines, long hours, clashes between work and family appear to take their toll and create dissatisfaction but are not driving journalists from the workforce. Primarily, journalists intending to leave the profession are frustrated with fundamental issues that comprise an enjoyable work environment support and encouragement. Hearing that discourages me to write for the newspaper, but does not stop my drive to become a full-time journalist in a non-newspaper environment. Writing for the newspaper my junior year in high school really bored me, it was a controlled writing. While I do know that everything I write is going to have rules and restrictions I wanted my writing to be freer instead of so compacted and controlled. Choosing a career in writing could be very difficult. The best categories for me would have to be opinion and/or sports journalist. Opinion based writing is ideal for me. A career of writing my thoughts would keep me occupied forever. People also have different opinions about journalism stated by (Verdoia, 1993) Journalism doesn't require the intelligence, training, and dexterity of brain surgery. It requires less technical aptitude, in most cases, than the person who repairs your lawn mower. There is no licensing examination, such as the medical boards or a state bar exam. In fact, a barber is required to have more certified hours of professional training than the person hired to anchor a nightly newscast. About 400 hundred hours of training are required by this state before

Writing for the newspaper may seem glamorous.

3 Running Head: CAREER PATH JOURNALISM Palmer 3 you are legally allowed to perm someone's hair, and zero hours of training are required of the men and women who anchor nightly newscasts and pour information into your ears. Listen to the critics of American journalism, and you will regard me and my esteemed colleagues as a voracious pack of mongrel dogs vigorously ripping at the garbage heap of society, driven by the ever-present scent of fresh blood. We are routinely labeled "biased"... "Irresponsible"... "Mean spirited"... "Biased"... "Sensational"... "Lurid"... and "biased. Reading what Ken talked about made me even more motivated to become the best journalist. Writing comes natural to me like a major league baseball player swinging a bat or a pianist playing the piano. Writing scripts for Comcast Sports Net or ESPN would be my dream job. Journalism is the basis of education; in reality everybody should love journalism. We use it every day through our conversations, written texts, phone call, etc. Writing should be taken more serious because with more of us studying journalism and being active the better our readers will become. Effective writing is influenced by effective reading, they go hand in hand. As you can see here, (Lassilla-Merisalo, 2011) the fact that the whole media scenery is in a maelstrom also sets challenges to journalism education. Already in the turn of the new millennium, journalism educators on both sides of the Atlantic noticed new trends in journalism and a need to reform journalism education. Servaes has listed the following suggestions: (1) the need to focus on service to the public, not industry; (2) the need to address challenges posed by new economic, technological, cultural, and social realities; and (3) the need to make journalism education diverse, inclusive, and global. Both journalism and journalism education are such strong institutions and have such long traditions that changes can happen only slowly. For example, the first World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC) was organized in Singapore not earlier than More than 400 journalism educators agreed on eleven principles to strengthen journalism

Listen to the critics of American journalism, and you will regard me and my esteemed colleagues as a voracious pack of mongrel dogs vigorously ripping at the garbage heap of society, driven by the

4 Running Head: CAREER PATH JOURNALISM Palmer 4 education, but in general, the themes of the panels and research papers did not yet indicate any urgency for changes. However, the next Congress, in July 2010 in South Africa, was titled Journalism education in an age of radical change. If we focused more on educating our future students the importance of journalism we may realized it does create a balance in the learning world. Personality is the main key to journalism, express yourself and have no limits. Especially with all the new social media technologies coming out and everything we can discover is right at our fingertips journalism jobs can be boosted very high. In a study directed by (Downie Jr, 2011) That mission is especially important as the ongoing reconstruction of American journalism continues to undermine the economic models of for-profit news media. At the same time, the digital revolution has made possible exciting new opportunities for gathering and sharing news, including a growing number of nonprofit digital news operations of varying kinds. Most of these startups, dependent on foundations another donors, remain financially fragile and are searching for ways to build audience and sustain themselves, including partnering with for-profit media that can use their reporting. I believe their survival is vital to the future of American accountability journalism. After doing all this research journalism is a mind-blowing realization. Fascinated by the findings, prepared for the climb and motivated by the hardship journalism is a path to risk. Long hours may yield me but it will all be worth it if a career in journalism is reached. My education needs to be heightened and becoming a better writer is the goal. It is possible to be what I want but it won t be handed it to me. People may hate me for what my job requires or people may hate me for what job I pursue but the thing about journalism is we all have an opinion. Journalism helps get used to the criticism from professors and critics and teaches me confidence to do better than I did the first time. It defines me as a person hardworking, creative, and reliable.

If we focused more on educating our future students the importance of journalism we may realized it does create a balance in the learning world.

5 Running Head: CAREER PATH JOURNALISM Palmer 5 References Downie Jr, L. (2011). BIG Journalism on Campus. pp Lassilla-Merisalo, M. a. (2011). How to Educate Innovation Journalists? Experiences of Innovation Journalism Education in Finland pp Perrow, C. (1986, January 1). Journaling Careers. pp Reinardy, S. (2009, July 1). Beyond Satisfaction: Journalists Doubt Career. p Verdoia, K. (1993). Journalism as a career.

Experiences of Innovation Journalism Education in Finland 2004-2010. pp. 25-38. Perrow, C. (1986, January 1).

6 Running Head: CAREER PATH JOURNALISM Palmer 6 Appendix Being a Mass Communications Major this chart has helped me find out the job percentages for Journalism, and other communication jobs. Figure 1

for Journalism, and other communication jobs. Figure 1 http://www.

Step 1: Accounting. 2010 Median Pay $61,690 per year $29.55 per hour Entry-Level Education. Bachelor s degree Work Experience in a Related Occupation

Step 1: Accounting. 2010 Median Pay $61,690 per year $29.55 per hour Entry-Level Education. Bachelor s degree Work Experience in a Related Occupation Chelsea Ulinski BUS 101 11/13/2012 Portfolio Project Step 1: Accounting Step 2: Certified Public Accountant Step 3: Certified Public Accountant: Accountants and Auditors 2010 Median Pay $61,690 per year