I am interested in sports journalism, hopefully working for a local nba team or espn. I understand it is VERY hard to get there so i was wondering if journalism is a good idea. I want to do something i like but journalism jobs pay so little unless i make it big. Uga is a top 3-5 journalism school according to a lot of sites. However i got into uga out of state so it is expensive. Is it worth it? And how effective would a uga degree in journalism benefit me?
I got my son’s roommate to answer, who was also from out of state. He graduated from Grady in 2015. Here is what he had to say, unedited.
"I would tell the person that wrote that this:
Like he said, journalism does not pay well for 95 percent of the people that go into it. But if you have a passion for telling stories and uncovering the truth, it’s a great profession. Even though the media is constantly being attacked by a certain president, and faith in our ability to report is low, we have an opportunity to regain that trust and hold the powerful accountable now more than in a long time.
Grady set me up very well for my job. I knew a lot going in that helped me and I feel I pick up on things quicker because of what I learned there. I think the professors are doing a great job of adjusting the curriculum to the changing face of our career, notably the use of online and social media. I think Grady is a great place to start. Whether it’s worth paying out of state tuition depends on where else the person is looking.
Sports is notoriously hard to get into. But if you care enough and work hard, you’ll find something. It’s the same case in news.
And I would say this to him as well…if you decide journalism is not for you, Grady has a lot of other majors to explore. And if he decides later after he starts working in it that it is not for him, you pick up a lot of random skills as a journalist that could help in different fields.
I hope that helps!"