For students across the country, one of the biggest decisions we will ever make is picking the right major. So many factors go into choosing your future and although journalism may not be on the same salary scale of a brain surgeon, it is one of the most fast-paced, exciting majors out there.
Pro- You get special access to events that other students don’t. From front row seats to sporting events, to getting special permission to meet with the president of our university, we get to do it all. We will do whatever it takes to get the best pictures and the best responses from the people we interview.
Con- We can’t get through a week without someone asking us the one question we are sick of answering. “So you actually want to be on TV? In front of countless people? Aren’t you afraid of messing up?” Yes, yes I want to be on TV and no, I’m not afraid of messing up. It’s part of the job. Yes, someone will point out the fact that I mispronounced a word, but if you can’t accept constructive criticism in this industry, you need to pick a new career.
Pro- While everyone else is memorizing formulas and every single part of the human body, Journalism majors are memorizing the AP Stylebook, which in my opinion, is so much better than doing math all day. Yes, we have occasional exams, but this major is all about writing papers that are error free and practice makes perfect, right?
Con- Yes, we get shy and mess up too. Remember giving a speech in sixth grade and totally forgetting the whole thing? Journalism majors can relate to that on so many levels. No matter how many times we practice a speech, or a report for a breaking story on campus, that little thought of messing up always sits in the back of our minds.
Pro- We get to publish our work for the world to see. Some people get to show their talents through sports, others through art or music. For journalism majors, it's writing. When we have that touching or moving story, we want the world to see. With the ever changing internet, there are countless websites for us to publish our work. Even if our articles don’t go viral, that’s OK, it won’t stop us from doing what we love to do.
Con- We drive ourselves insane when it comes to grammar and we want to call you out when we see a mistake. Journalism majors have a major pet peeve when it comes to grammar mistakes. A few of the ones that make our blood boil: “There” instead of “Their,” or “Your” instead of “You’re.” We spend countless hours editing our own work and when we see others make mistakes, we immediately want to fix them but we can’t and it drives us crazy. And don’t even get us started on misspelled words.
Pro/Con- We are the first to know when something major happens on campus. We are the ones that tell our student body when our President announces a new student center. We are also the ones that have to announce bad news. From tuition hikes to the demolition of a major parking lot on campus, we have to inform the campus whether we like it or not. We inform the world of every little piece of news we can get our hands on and we love it.
Con- We have trouble staying within the word count. While most students struggle to make the given word count on essays, journalism majors struggle to stay under the word count limit. When a professor gives us a 500 word count limit, we cringe because for us, we can write all day and give as many details as we possibly can. We are the reason teachers have to tell students not to go over the limit because we can easily double or triple the limit without thinking twice about it.
Pro- It’s the best and most exhilarating major out there. We may not start out making over $100,000 but someday, we will get there. It may take countless effort and sleepless nights, but when it comes down to it, every paper we write is worth it and we wouldn’t change it for anything.
