<p>I am the first person in my family not to pursue an engineering degree in college. Instead, I was recently accepted to journalism school at NU and will attend there in the fall.</p>
<p>My dad recently told me that some of my family members are "concerned" about my choice of major and the future career options (or, apparently, lack thereof) that will be available to me. Journalists and writers, he told me, don't have high salaries, and he said that if I'm serious about majoring in journalism, I should accept the fact that I'm not ever going to have a decent salary.</p>
<p>Yes, I am aware that the average journalist/writer does not make as much money as a computer engineer. But I am skeptical toward my dad's "you're financially screwed for life" philosophy.</p>
<p>ckmed is right. I mean yes, they do typically have lower salaries but if that's what you want to do with your life...I would think any other job wouldn't be worth considering, regardless of the salary</p>
<p>Northwestern has an amazing jschool program, probably the best known undergrad program in the country. That will probably open up some opportunities that other schools won't and put you in a better position than most people trying to break into journalism. </p>
<p>Yes, you're going to make less money than a computer science major. In fact, a lot less money. I guess it really depends on where you are geographically, but I've heard most journalism jobs pay around $30k starting. But it really dpeends on what your priorities are, and it's a really personal decision. For some people, it's more important to have a stable job, for others, it's important that they can maintain a certain lifestyle, and so they should choose jobs that can support that. However, if you really are passionate about journalism, then go for it. You'll more than likely be able to make a living and you won't starve, but you'll probably be pretty tight financially.</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure the editor in chief of the Wall Street Journal makes a lot of money. And look at Steve Forbes. He owns a magazine company (namely Forbes Magazine) and he also happens to be one of the richest people in the world.</p>
<p>Well, the way I see it is with a NU diploma, you will likely have other options if you decide not to stay with journalism. One close alternative is marketing. Like many other Medill students, you will probably have a second major while at NU. You can use that as a backup.</p>
<p>Startrak speaks the truth! Chase money your whole life and die unhappy. We need to post this advice over on the "MBA" forums, where everyone is stressed about making six figures out of grad school.</p>
<p>My step son, after the Northeastern coop program in journalism with top grades, is still unable to get a paying job in Journalism two years after graduation</p>
<p>If you want to be a home health aid, study journalism</p>
<p>Take a look at the jobs you’d be eligible for once you graduate with a journalism degree, and take note of the salaries they’re offering. Ask yourself if they’re something you can live with, taking into account where you want to live, how you want to live, and what kind of debt you’ll have after undergrad.</p>
<p>If you can live with those salaries, then fine and wonderful. But a lot of people go in with a “do what you love” mindset without thinking seriously about how their career prospects will mesh with what they want their life to look like. Also keep in mind that there just aren’t that many journalism jobs out there, and it’s not exactly a growing field.</p>
<p>You should aim to do something you enjoy, but you should also keep in mind how you’re going to support yourself.</p>