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Wayyyyyyyyyy off-topic: Journalism B.A.? - Printable Version

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Wayyyyyyyyyy off-topic: Journalism B.A.? - ThePassionOfTheChryst - 05-28-2015

[size=1em]This has nothing to do with Stanford or sports, but as I don't post on very many forums and the number of college degrees here (and therefore the well of experience from which to draw) likely surpasses the others, I figured I'd take a shot (ironic run-on sentence unintentional).[/size]
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[size=1em]I'm at a community college now and so far just working my way through the IGETC (for those in the know), but I'm approaching a point where I need to figure out the direction I want to take.  Therein lies my conundrum.[/size]
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[size=1em]I don't really have a goal.  I've convinced myself I want to study economics, but I find the subject rather boring.  The only subject I've ever enjoyed in school has been journalism, and that seems like a natural fit for my studies, but it strikes me as a bit of a waste of time (no offense to any journalists in the house).  Job prospects are dwindling, and it seems to me that in this day and age, the resources spent pursuing a journalism degree would be better spent actually doing journalism - blogging, unpaid contributions, etc.[/size]
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[size=1em]I guess what I'm asking is this: is a journalism B.A. marketable?  If not, should I do it anyway because I enjoy it/am fairly good at it, or should I stick with economics (or pick something entirely unrelated)?[/size]
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[size=1em]Thanks.[/size]

Re: Wayyyyyyyyyy off-topic: Journalism B.A.? - yvonne - 05-29-2015

No

Re: Wayyyyyyyyyy off-topic: Journalism B.A.? - ThePassionOfTheChryst - 05-29-2015

I'm going to assume that "no" was your answer to the half-baked question posed in my thread title.


If so, thanks.

Re: Wayyyyyyyyyy off-topic: Journalism B.A.? - yvonne - 05-29-2015

OK, I'm guessing you want a more developed answer. There are several journalists and former journalists on this board. In fact, several are charter members. I'm sure they'd be happy to pitch in with their opinions.

The skill of being able to research information, gather facts and interview people are valuable no matter what you end up doing. So practicing journalism isn't a bad idea. Hanging your career hat on it is. News is a dying business, and newspapers are dying daily. There were 8 newspapers in the Bay Area in the early 1990s. (The San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Examiner, the Oakland Tribune, the Alameda News Group, the Lesher Group, the Marin Independent Journal, the Palo Alto Times Tribune, and the San Jose Mercury News. Now, through closures and consolidations, there are three, with the I-J barely hanging on. Even trade publications have fallen by the wayside, and Internet sites have similarly consolidated or closed.

Nevertheless, if you really insist on becoming a journalist, the best way to learn it is by doing it. Take a couple of courses in it and work for your school radio or newspaper, but major in something you enjoy that's not journalism. Work Learn how to ask questions and tell a story.



Re: Wayyyyyyyyyy off-topic: Journalism B.A.? - ThePassionOfTheChryst - 05-29-2015


[size=1em]Actually your initial response said all that needed saying, but I appreciate your elaboration ;D And I know you're right about the sad state of the news business.  It's a shame, but technology claims new victims all the time.  Thanks for weighing in.[/size]

Re: Wayyyyyyyyyy off-topic: Journalism B.A.? - washingtonismoney - 05-29-2015

I say "No" but for a slightly different reason. I'm a youngish journalist, so naturally I'm a bit more bullish on the industry than Yvonne.

But then again, I don't have a journalism degree and in fact barely did any journalism in practice during college. Some of my friends have similar experiences. The thing is that the set of skills necessary to become a journalist is better acquired through practice, rather than the classroom. Going through the classroom is likely not be worth your time.

My advice would be more or less the same if the industry were obviously in a boom.

Re: Wayyyyyyyyyy off-topic: Journalism B.A.? - needle - 05-29-2015

I'm going to try to answer from a different perspective.


You can get a journalism degree and do a few things besides journalism.


My sister earned a journalism degree from a four-year school and pretty seamlessly went into teaching high school. She never really taught journalism, but English and writing. Later, she became a librarian.


Also--and this is out of my or my family's experience--I think there are quite a few public relations and/or social media jobs out there. I'm betting that a journalism degree, while not a marketing degree, would be looked at pretty favorably by employers looking to fill these types of jobs *if* you can show the goods as far as social media and/or top-notch writing samples.


I guess I would say that if it's a matter of finding something to get you motivated to carry on and get that degree, by all means, go for that journalism diploma and I don't think it will hold you back too much if you wind up wanting to do something different career-wise.

Re: Wayyyyyyyyyy off-topic: Journalism B.A.? - rudruff - 05-30-2015

As an economics major I can also say that it is not an undergraduate degree that people are usually looking for. I enjoyed it mainly from a historical perspective (it gives you another perspective about a lot of things that have happened in our past).

However, I spent a lot of time trying to explain how it compared to a business major when I was out in the real world with mixed results. The only "economists" from my group continued their studies into graduate programs.

A lot of people went to law school with the degree, but lawyers aren't getting hired either.

Re: Wayyyyyyyyyy off-topic: Journalism B.A.? - Robbie - 05-30-2015

Journalism: definitely a B.S. degree - not B.A.