When I tell older family members or friends that I’m majoring in Journalism, I get mixed responses. Some respond with “oh, that’s so neat!” or “oh, my friend’s daughter majors in that too.”
Some responses aren’t so positive. They initially react with “oh…”, “do you want to write for newspapers?”, or “what do you want to do with that?” Then they proceed to tell me that the newspaper is dying and the job market for writers must be shrinking.
What they fail to realize is that journalism is so much more than being a newspaper reporter. Journalists also do TV, radio and online news outlets. While the number of “dead tree media”, such as newspapers and magazines, is drastically shrinking, the news business is not disappearing. It’s changing.
Through my study of journalism, I’ve learned to appreciate the news. I’ve learned to appreciate reading it for pleasure and to educate myself on world events and what professional writing looks like.
Additionally, they fail to realize, or I sometimes forget to mention right away, is that my major is technically “journalism and public relations.” This includes classes that help you write in a way to communicate information for certain companies. Every company needs someone to manage their image and notify media about new products, volunteerism within the company or upcoming events or specials. Another thing public relations people could deal with is crises. When something happens with a customer, product or staff member related to your company, there could be backlash against the company. This is where PR people step in and give the information out that people need to hear to fix or help the situation.
Journalism gives you the basics to be a writer. It has been allowing me to learn base knowledge about grammar, style and form so that I can branch out and write about whatever I want. This has allowed my creativity to really flow. When you no longer have to solely focus on the technical parts of writing, you can express things easier. The classes that I’ve taken have taught me how to write for PR, breaking news, investigative news and feature news, but I can use these basic structures to know what is good and bad writing in a lot of other forms.
Looking into the future, every company needs writers. Whether that is for PR, magazines and even online blogs, every company, with the increasing relevancy of the internet and social media, needs someone to inform the public on things using the written word. A writer could be hired to maintain the company’s social media, write their weekly blog, publish newsletters for employees, write advertisements for marketing campaigns or write press releases for local news media.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for a Public Relations Specialists is 6 percent, which is as fast as the average outlook for all occupations. Writers, in general, are only a 2 percent increase, but at least it is rising.
When all is said and done, I don’t care what the official outlook is. Writing will be and is more than a profession but a hobby of mine. As I’ve read recently in a book titled “You are a Writer (so start ACTING like one),” Jeff Goins says, “I found my dream not by searching for it, but by submitting to what I had always hoped was true: I was, in fact, a writer. All I had to do was write.”
Jeff Goins
And that’s what I’m doing now. Writing. Writing for me and for others to consume. Writing to make a habit, to get better and fulfill my dreams -- and journalism is a stepping stool for me.
I am a writer.
