It seems that the closer I get to finishing my degree, the less likely it becomes that I will ever hold down a job with a traditional news outlet. As everyone knows, Fairfax is cutting 1,900 jobs and News Ltd is also promising to shed staff. Australian journalism is in transition. Newspapers all over the world are changing- they may even be dying. It's a story that's been around for a while, and saying that the media is not like it used to be is stating the obvious- but yet myself and many of my friends have chosen to study journalism at university. Are we crazy?
The Australian looked into this earlier in the year, and articles like this only add to that niggling feeling that maybe we're setting ourselves up for failure. Are we ever going to use the skills we're learning in practical subjects? Will anyone care that we understand the concept of an inverted pyramid and will our knowledge of the theory of the Fourth Estate ever help us in a shrinking industry?
The Australian looked into this earlier in the year, and articles like this only add to that niggling feeling that maybe we're setting ourselves up for failure. Are we ever going to use the skills we're learning in practical subjects? Will anyone care that we understand the concept of an inverted pyramid and will our knowledge of the theory of the Fourth Estate ever help us in a shrinking industry?
Maybe it's about adjusting expectations, which doesn't have to mean downgrading them. It might not be the case that we all see our names in print every day for a forty year career at a major daily, but that doesn't mean that we won't find work that is fulfilling for similar reasons that a job at a newspaper might have been. This might be writing for a website, working in social media or Public Relations, or for a lucky few, gaining a highly coveted position with a revamped but healthy traditional news outlet.
It's also worth pointing out that skills in communication are valuable in a range of areas (well, pretty much every area ever).The subjects I have studied in my Journalism major aren't just about how to write a news article: they are also about analysis, understanding the media in society and appreciating new trends in a globalised world. Surely, these skills could be useful in many contexts. So even if we don't become journalists, this doesn't necessarily mean that we are wasting our time. Isn't the idea of basing your career on what you studied during your three years at university a little out-dated anyway?
Next time you meet a journalism student, don't shudder and show them pity. They are, no doubt, aware of how volatile the job market in their chosen profession is becoming. Maybe they have accepted that their future isn't going to look exactly the way they thought it would when they first selected journalism as a major. But giving up all hope of ever gaining a fulfilling job isn't going to help anyone.
Being a journalism student in 2012 is scary, but it isn't hopeless.
It's also worth pointing out that skills in communication are valuable in a range of areas (well, pretty much every area ever).The subjects I have studied in my Journalism major aren't just about how to write a news article: they are also about analysis, understanding the media in society and appreciating new trends in a globalised world. Surely, these skills could be useful in many contexts. So even if we don't become journalists, this doesn't necessarily mean that we are wasting our time. Isn't the idea of basing your career on what you studied during your three years at university a little out-dated anyway?
Next time you meet a journalism student, don't shudder and show them pity. They are, no doubt, aware of how volatile the job market in their chosen profession is becoming. Maybe they have accepted that their future isn't going to look exactly the way they thought it would when they first selected journalism as a major. But giving up all hope of ever gaining a fulfilling job isn't going to help anyone.
Being a journalism student in 2012 is scary, but it isn't hopeless.
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