Being a journalism major is extremely time-consuming and stressful. And a lot of people don't understand just how hard it is. Journalists work their hardest and are overlooked for almost everything they do. We receive way more judgment than we should and understand so much when it comes to the media industry that a lot of people don't understand.
1. "What are you going to do with that?"
A lot of people don't really understand what journalism is. Journalism is several things. It can involve writing for newspapers, magazines, broadcast television, blogging, social media, and pretty much anything that technically involves reporting news or telling the world your opinion. So, you can do pretty much anything with a journalism degree. However, any journalism major will have different plans for their future. For example, my dream goal is to be a magazine journalist for a fashion magazine. But some other journalism majors may actually go on after college to be a sports reporter or broadcaster. So yes, we can do basically whatever we want.
2. "Why would you go to college for that?"
Okay, maybe Ryan Seacrest didn't go to college to become a radio DJ/Journalist, but in today's day and age having a Journalism degree looks better than not having one. Therefore, that's why we go to college. And that's about it.
3. "So are you going to be on TV?"
Not necessarily. I mean, if I'm a broadcaster. However, I don't have to be on TV. Journalists do way more than just be on TV, besides what most people think. We can be on TV if we desire, but we can also write for newspapers and magazines as well.
4. "Are there even jobs for that?"
Yes. Yes, there are jobs. Media may be steering away from print and newspaper but is evolving even more into social media and online content platforms. More and more people are turning to online sources to receive their news. So yes, the jobs are still there, despite what a lot of people think.
5. "And how much money are you going to make doing that?"
Well, fine. Okay, we won't make a lot of money for a while unless we get really lucky. But journalism majors don't go into the journalism field for money. We go into the field for passion. We enter the journalism field because we have this desire to inform the public and have this desire to be what society needs. Without journalists, the world wouldn't get any of its news. Therefore the world needs journalists, even though they don't always realize that. So before you decide to start trash talking what the media reports, please remember that journalists are people too and you need them more than you realize.
