journalism is too competitive

A DEGREE in journalism can lead to a world of opportunities spanning a variety of fields. Most jobs stem from publications, such as newspapers and magazines. But, in an increasingly modern world, broadcast and, online media are becoming major area for opportunities.

With technology making massive progressive strides year on year, the demand for news and information is growing ferociously. This has led directly to an influx of educated or graduated 20 something’s all seeking a job in the industry. Competition among the job seekers is undoubtedly at an all time high.

This fact does not seem any more pleasant when the recession is keeping many people out of jobs and newspapers and other publications alike are having to make many members of staff redundant due to cut backs in all areas.

When looking for tips about how to get into Journalism, i stumbled across a page from 'courses-careers' called ‘a career in Journalism' . On this website there is a list of what skills you need in order to become a journalist. Among the skills are the obvious such as good spelling, punctuation and grammar, along with the not so obvious, including a willingness to accept irregular hours. What the website did though fail to mention was that a major necessity when trying to establish yourself in the industry is having good contacts. This may be through luck of knowing somebody or doing the smartest thing and getting some work experience and getting your foot firmly on the ladder.

Sam Martin who worked for many years as an editor for various publications claimed: “Gone are the days when you can get hired for a position in the field of journalism with a college degree and some great clips. Job applicants need experience and lots of it if they want to land a position as a journalist”.

Luke Kyte, 20 a second year Journalism student from Canterbury Christ Church University has recently completed a one-week work experience period with The Guardian. Whilst learning a lot and enjoying his time with the national paper he said "For me, it was important to get myself out there and get a foot in the door. I am hoping to get another week at the Guardian in the summer and by doing so I have some valuable experience as well as something for the C.V that shows that I can work in the industry".

With the number of people with University degrees as high as it has ever been, having a degree no longer guarantees you a job at the end of it. It is very much what else you do during your degree and whether you have walked the extra yard at certain times that employers are looking for.

So with the industry continually on the move, it seems very much to be whom you know and how much experience you have after leaving University in comparison to what degree you have, although a first is clearly going to be favorable. Getting your foot in the door and your foot on the ladder is probably the best piece of advice available to Journalism students. With the news ever changing and the jobs in the industry seemingly decreasing it is important to make yourself stand out from what is becoming a very large crowd and make it difficult for future employers to over-look you. If a journalist is your dream job, then you have to make sure that you are not left behind in an industry that will not stop moving.