Whether you're about to officially become a journalism major in the fall or if you've been writing for years, I'm sure you can relate to these struggles.
1. Deadlines. Deadlines. Deadlines.
When your friends are complaining about how their essay is due at midnight tomorrow, it's hard to feel bad for them as you're frantically trying to write three different articles all due in the next 30 minutes.
2. You basically have to know everything at all times.
Even if you only want to write about something like sports or music, you find yourself knowing about literally everything that is happening. At least you know about all of the cool stuff before anyone else.
3. When you can't find sources for your story.
Whether it's having your interviewee cancel on you or when you can barely find one word about your topic, the pain is real.
4. LEADS.
You'd think that writing one to a few sentences introducing the topic you've researched endlessly about would be easy right? Wrong. Dead wrong.
5. Style guides.
After learning some combination of MLA, Chicago, APA, etc. in high school, you think that you've finally learned all there is to know about citing sources.
HA. Meet your new best friend/bible.
6. ... and when publications have their own style guides.
Even after treating the AP Stylebook like the most treasured thing to ever exist, most publications have their own set of style guidelines that you have to learn! How fun!
7. Word. Counts.
Why do 600 words go by so fast?
8. When you have a bad interview.
Sometimes you couldn't come up with enough questions or your interviewee was in a rush and only said five words per question, and sometimes it's just not a good day for both of you. We all have our bad interviews.
9. Explaining to family and friends that journalism isn't a dying field.
It's like everytime your major is brought up, someone has to either say that journalism is dying and that you're better off in something else. Like we'd sign up for something that has no future, please.
10. Explaining to yourself that journalism isn't a dying field.
Of course people other than your friends on Facebook are reading your articles! You have nothing to worry about once graduation comes around.
11. Coming up with headlines
Just like with leads, why is it so hard to come up with a few words?
12. Deciding on how to end the article.
All the facts are there! Every quote makes sense! You've been fact-checking as you went! Wait ... how do we end this thing (and stay in the word count)?
13. Correcting others when they have false information from bad news sources.
Admit it. Since becoming a journalism major you've become a bit of a snob when it comes to knowing all of the (unbiased) facts about every daily headline. It's okay though, save them from sources like CNN and Fox. They'll thank you later.
14. Coming up with story ideas.
Even though you know everything, you still completely blank when your editor asks you for story ideas. How is there nothing happening whenever you need topics?
Bonus perk: We love every second of it
Yes, it gets hard at times, and there are moments when we want to drop out and become something cool like a farmer, but there's something that keeps pulling us back. Gotta love journalism.
