So You Want to be a Journalist? Read This First.

Apparently, more people than ever are applying for university in the recession – and media studies and journalism are among the most popular courses. Apparently, people think being a journalist is pretty cool.

I’m not going to disagree – personally, I love my job and can’t imagine changing it – but journalism isn’t a career to go into with your eyes closed. Be aware of the potential issues you’ll face, the key skills that employers might need from you; think about how you’ll survive freelance if a job can’t be found; and how will you pay the bills – because as any journalist will tell you, the actual doing of journalism only accounts for half your time – the rest of it is book-keeping and chasing invoices, usually over and over again.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve been bookmarking posts that I think are particularly useful for anyone coming into journalism, and here are 10 that I think are most worth reading:

1. Survival Tactics for Dinosaurs. Dave Lee has made some interesting arguments over the last couple of years about journalists being unable to survive without good, strong multimedia skills. I’d disagree to an extent – I think there’s always a place for a small proportion of the media to remain strong specialists in one discipline, and I also think diversification needn’t just be across different technologies – lots of print journalists will survive by diversifying into PR, copywriting and consulting, for example. But the post is still well worth a read and makes some great points. (Note: Dave’s original article is no longer linked to, but he might be able to dig it out – Dave?)
2. If freelancing is your career for any period of time, you too will experience the very special joy that is trying to get paid. It’s tempting as a freelancer to see that juicy £1,000 commission as money in the bank almost. Many’s the time I’ve thought, “Oh brilliant, that’s covered next month’s mortgage” only to kick myself the next month when I haven’t been paid and the accounts department has gone AWOL. Wordsmith, a marvellously stroppy freelancer who doesn’t stand for any nonsense on this front, has some of the best advice I’ve ever read here.
3. If you’re new to the media, one of the greatest things you can do to further your career is get a work experience placement. Here are Joanne Mallon's 10 Commandments for making the most of it once you’re there. Joanne is an experienced journalist and coach, and has some great advice on her blog for anyone moving into a media career - have a browse while you're there.
4. Charles Arthur, who works on the Guardian’s Technology beat, has some fantastic advice here on how journalism newbies can uncover stories and investigate hidden trends if they learn how to exploit the mountain of data that’s available to them. I wasn’t completely convinced when I first read this post, but these days, I think I’m a total convert – every bit of code I’ve learned has paid dividends.
5. Don’t under-estimate how much journalists work. Sure, State of Play is all about being out and about meeting bad guys, and Carrie in Sex and the City seems to just faff around on her laptop every couple of days, but in the real world? Bit different. Check out this post from experienced journalist Kim Thomas on the reality of being a jobbing journalist
6. Most of the writing we do these days will end up online – even if it’s also appearing elsewhere. With SEO guidelines at the top of many publisher’s wish-lists, writers who understand how to use SEO effectively without turning their copy into gibberish will have a head start. I really like these guidelines from Jakob Nielsen on web headlines – he reckons the BBC gets this completely right.
7. What you think is important doesn’t matter. It’s what the reader thinks is important that matters. So often ignored in journalism where ego can blind people to the readers’ wishes, and the media pool so often ends up only listening to its own point of view. A point beautifully made by A Recovering Journalist in this post.
8. You’re never that good a writer that you can’t improve. Unless, presumably, you’re Giles Coren, but that’s another story. I really enjoy Matthew Stibbe’s blog, which mostly looks at copywriting but much of his advice also applies to journalism. I was particularly inspired by this post on writing tools available online, and have tried the concentration timer to pretty good effect myself. More here.
9. Copyright still exists on the web. Now we’re all working in a multimedia world, NOTHING annoys professional hacks more than people assuming that because it’s online, it must be free. No, it’s not. If you use someone’s words or images without attribution and consent, that’s theft. Luckily, there are LOADS of ways to get great images online, handily listed by Nick Saalfeld here. 
10. Think about what sort of journalism world you’re graduating into. It’s not going to the the journalism world of 10 years ago; maybe not even the journalism world of one year ago. If you want some great insights into what the future might look like, I recommend tracking Tom Foremski, starting with this post on reinventing reporters.

Comments

[Wordsmith_for_Hire]

Coo, ta for the outing!

[Sally]

Oops! Er, edited. Sorry about that.

[Anne]

You forgot: don't do media studies if you want to be a journalist.

[Sally]

Oh, Anne - controversial!

I didn't do a journalism degree and would question the rigour of many courses but I wouldn't have said it's necessarily a bad thing. As an employer, I can't imagine I'd care what degree someone did if they were bright, motivated and had the required skills.

Although, of course, having a degree like economics or medicine can help if you intend to become a specialist reporter.

Is a media studies degree so bad, really?

[Wordsmith_for_Hire]

They're worth shit. Back when I started out, there was no such things as degrees in journalism or media studies, but even had there been. I'd not have done one. I blagged my way into my first job at 16 with a heap of fanzine cuts - my raw talent was enough to get me a job, with all the training that entailed. The fact is that a degree course does not equip you with the skills you need to make it as a hack. Viz the number of grads who ask on all manner of forums if they ought to do a NTCJ or not... I rest my case.

[Joanne Mallon]

Thanks for the link Sally.

On the subject of degrees, I had a final year journalism student ask me recently whether "good ideas were important or not when freelancing". Sadly, my jaw dropping to the floor then managed to break his foot.

[Sally]

@Wordsmith - I'm with you on the pointlessness of the content of many media studies degrees in terms of providing the skills to be a journalist. I always suspected they're more like a fluffy humanities degree "let's talk about media ISSUES" rather than professional training, though. Ultimately, it's about the person not what degree you have - I'm not sure how impressed anyone ever was with my MA(Hons) English Language and Literature, put it that way...

@Joanne - arf. Although, to be fair, in certain circles being friends with Jocasta or Rupert will get you further than even the best, shiniest idea.

[Wordsmith_for_Hire]

Do excuse my typos in my earlier comment. It was late and I'd communed with a bottle of Armagnac.

My BA (Ord., sadly) was also in English but done after 7 years on the job, when I decided I ought to complete my education, given I walked out of school the day I sat my last O-level. On the plus side, I did it because I wanted to and I finally "got" Shakespeare. I appreciate my degree all the more because I did it for pleasure rather than need. Am now toying with doing an MA in online hackery but have yet to be convinced of the value. And there's the cost issue...

[Anne]

I'm not saying media studies degrees are fluffy, necessarily (oi - humanities ain't fluffy, etc etc). In fact I have an A level in media. But they're not vocational degrees. They're theoretical. It's like doing film studies for three years in the hope it will equip you with the practical skills to become a film director.

[Matthew Stibbe]

Thanks for the link! Matthew