<p>Is it worth pursuing a Journalism major?</p>
<p>I really enjoy writing and debating, particularly about sports and sometimes politics. I'm a big sports fan; I would say that my sports acumen is second to none. I can pull out dates, specific games, specific players, and names off the top of my head. </p>
<p>Not to mention, I can easily put out a two page article on the latest sports topics in less than 30 minutes. It's not the fact that I'm that good; it's just that I know that much.</p>
<p>I wrote for my school news paper, and I always received high marks on writing projects/papers (and I know this isn't much). I was also a color commentator for a youth football league as well.</p>
<p>I just don't know if it's really worth pursuing a journalism degree. I don't want to come out of college and work for a local paper for the next 10 years before I get my big break (if that break even comes). Ultimately, I want to write and appear on ESPN. </p>
<p>What do you guys think?</p>
<p>Basically, thousands of kids want to be on ESPN. You have to make sure that you can be happy and get a good job if that never happens, whether it be in journalism or something else. If you want to do it, do it, but make sure you go to a school with a good program and have a solid backup plan.</p>
<p>If you really believe this is your life’s calling, then go for it. But understand that journalism is a very tough field to get into. Newspapers and magazines are losing lots of subscribers. In the US, newspapers have had a 30% drop in circulation since 2007. All of this means fewer journalists required to run these publications. </p>
<p>And I’m sure you know that the sports media world is competitive. There are a lot of guys who would love to be an analyst on ESPN. I heard that a lot of analysts were pro athletes when they were younger, which gives them an edge over regular broadcast journalists. Additionally, there is even software out now that can write article summaries on sports games. You don’t even need a reporter! </p>
<p>Do whatever you want, but know about the situation before you jump in.</p>
<p>Please note that you don’t need a degree for that kind of job, nor acting. What you’re actually doing is building technical skills to learn, so that you can get that degree. But if you know how to write, you’re good already.</p>
<p>If on the other hand you’d like to learn broadcast journalism, where you’re actually learning film and video editing, that’s a lot better! Most of the time, broadcast stations hire journalism students over film students because they’re both taught in different styles.</p>
<p>If I were you, I’d get something to fall back on, because a journalism degree is very short, and you have room to get a dual degree (for me at least). Most of the time, in the program you’re just building your portfolio…not actually learning newer and newer things. </p>
<p>Try finance or human resources to compliment what you’re doing.</p>
<p>“I don’t want to come out of college and work for a local paper for the next 10 years…”</p>
<p>Don’t worry. You will not have to work for a local paper for 10 years because they will not be around 10 years from now.</p>
<p>if it’s what you want to do, then i recommend that you do it.</p>
<p>it’s better to be happy doing what you do, than be miserable doing something you hate that may be a bit more lucrative.</p>