When I tell some adults I am going into journalism, questions rise. They ask, "Don't you want to make money?" or "Isn't that a dying business?"
Even my parents didn't want me to go into journalism. But after I told them a countless number of times that this is my passion, they started to approve. They know that there's nothing that can be done to change my mind.
Maybe you, reader, have felt the same way. People tell you that you can do something that is easier, something more stable. And maybe you have seriously considered changing your path just for the sake of comfort. I am here to make you think again.
You can't change the fact that you have ink in your blood.
Among this truth, you and I can't change the fact that we love reading random articles. Whenever we think of random questions, which are quite often, Google becomes our best friend. We can write faster than most people we know. We love scrolling through the news, and most importantly, we love talking about the news.
Stories are what we live for.
Girls, you can't change what you love. Yes, you might be getting loads of crap for going into this shaky field. But when people question you about it, you can look them right in the eye and tell them that journalism isn't going anywhere.
Yes, the old traditional ways of journalism will fade. TV won't always be a thing, and newspapers won't always be thrown onto everyone's driveways. But that doesn't mean that journalism is a "dying field." We go wherever technology goes, and we are fine with that.
Because ages ago, there was still that person who people crowded around in the middle of the town, shouting out the news at the top of their lungs so people would know what the heck was going on in the world.
Journalism was there ages ago, and it will be here ages from now. And if we don't have it, then we will probably be in a totalitarian state.
But as long as the First Amendment reigns, journalism will remain. No matter where technology is going, people will still need to know the truth: what the president is up to, what's going on in Russia, new scientific discoveries, and what the leading movers and shakers of the world are up to. They will have to know the crime in their cities and they will have to know (I hate to say this) that there is a huge freaking alligator in their town the size of a dinosaur.
Even though this news isn't very serious, wouldn't you want to know if there was a creature the size of a dinosaur in your neighborhood? I know I would.
Whether it's a world conflict, firefighters rescuing dozens of citizens from a burning building, the strange and bizarre, the best fashion trends for the spring season, or outstanding people, journalism matters.
We make up the fourth estate. We are watchdogs for the people around us. We find inspiring, world-changing stories and we tell them. Once you have the bug, you might as well use it to benefit the world around you.
When someone questions you for going into this field, know that you are doing a serious justice for the people of America, no matter where the heck technology goes.
You may not make all of the money in the world, but I promise if you love what you do, the money won't matter as much. You have to use your gift, because you were given it for a reason.
So keep writing, my dear. You never know how you could change the world around you. With a pen, paper, and curious mind, the world is your oyster.
