Hi, so I want to be a journalist but now that I’m on my senior year everyone keeps telling me that I should study communication. I’ve read many programs and they’re both different (in different schools),yet how different are they? For once, journalism is more focussed in writing (and I love that) and also includes photography classes, while a communications program don’t. Nevertheless, the argument pro communication is that it is a more “complete” program. Which one is really better for a journalism career?
Caveat: I graduated from a top journalism program in 1988 (ancient history, I know!) with degrees in newspaper and political science.
From my experience, it is easier to get a job in journalism if you have a journalism degree. It is harder to use a communications degree to get a journalism job - not impossible, but as competitive as things are today that might be one way to wade through applications.
It often comes down to your internships and clips. At my school, the best opportunities were reserved for and offered to the j-school students. We covered the presidential primary in New Hampshire, the two local dailies hired us for night cops (a huge deal at that time), and we had professors who had “been there, done that” in the real world and still had connections.
You’d have to sit down and compare the programs, not only with the classes offered but the experiences as well. And, as always, it is up to you to spend your summers working at publications to get clips. I always had paying internships, but those have dried up except for some of the top programs (which, again, might require being in a j-program).
Journalism is not just focused on writing, but it certainly is the backbone of any kind of program whether you decide on broadcast or print. Photography is often its own major (but again, things might have changed and it depends on the program - I never took a single photography class, which I regret).
And … make sure you want it, and research the career prospects. Newspapers, at least, are cutting their staffs left and right and even closing. Same for magazines. Journalism anymore goes beyond reporting and writing, and often includes a social media component as well (which will likely not be a problem for your generation).
Good luck - I’ll answer any additional questions if you have any.
I would add that if you want to work in journalism, a journalism major + a minor in economics, a foreign language&culture, environmental science, or politics/gov, is better. With the advent of data journalism, a minor in data science or statistics could also help. Or, just major in one of these subjects at a school with great contacts and career center (preferably a school with strong writing, such as Hamilton or Denison’s nonfiction writing minor).
Thanks! Do you think sociology might help? (as a minor)
well, it could, but it’s not as relevant as the ones above. So would African American studies, Environmental studies, women’s studies, BTW. All in all, having a solid foundation in a subject that’ll help you with content, will help - evne if familiarity with the digital world is essential.