<p>I'm an undergrad at a 'new public ivy'. It's not just an average public school, but its certainly no harvard. it's also not one of the well known schools for journalism, such as missouri is. so to break into the journalism field, beyond a local newspaper or such, and aiming for something like NYT, time magazine, and that caliber publications, will my undergrad prestige matter, or is it more dependent on my clip portfolio. also, would journalism graduate school be a significant help?</p>
<p>I would rank them like this:
1. portfolio
2. internships
3. grad school
4. prestige</p>
<p>Unless you're in one of the top 10 journalism schools, the name of your undergrad really doesn't matter. Grad school is OK, but you probably don't need it, especially if you're doing journalism as an undergrad. The portfolio is key. Be sure to get excellent internships so you can develop your portfolio and have good recommendations.</p>
<p>You will start small. You will probably not be heading to the NYT right away. There's nothing wrong with starting small. My sis graduated from Mizzou and is at a relatively small paper right now (her choice). She already had a really good portfolio, but being at a smaller paper gives her opportunities to do reporting she would have to wait years to do at a larger paper. Currently, she's doing all politics for the paper - local, state, and national - that comes through her city, and since she's in New Hampshire with the upcoming election year, she's getting to report on a lot of great stuff. This will make her portfolio stronger faster.</p>
<p>Have some savings, though - journalism doesn't pay so well when you're straight out of school. Just FYI.</p>
<p>Solid advice. It is nice to see some good advice that makes sense and avoids the usual "get the best grad degree possible" line of thinking that is prevalent on CC.</p>
<p>Does jounalism ever end up paying well?</p>
<p>-A wannabe journalist with cynical money-obsessed parents :)</p>
<p>That depends on how you define well, I guess. You can live off of it, and as you advance, you can live comfortably. You won't get to live in a place with a country club, but you get to travel, go to events and talk to people that most people can't. My sis has interviewed two presidential candidates in the last two months. That's pretty cool. Plus, think how influential journalism is. Tell your parents they get to brag about your columns to the neighbors.</p>
<p>That's some very good advice, DespSeekPhd. I talked with a veteran journalist recently who has worked for over 25 years, and he says getting access to prominent people is definitely one of the great perks of the job. You also get the opportunity to visit interesting places.</p>
<p>However, there are some sad realities to journalism today. Not everyone respects journalists. The public's confidence in the media is low these days. The media industry is also changing. People are getting laid off at newspapers because print journalism is dying. Online journalism is the future. The pay isn't that good, but you can live on your salary in certain less-expensive parts of the country. You may want to read this: <a href="http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos088.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos088.htm</a> </p>
<p>But if you're willing to accept those realities, journalism can be rewarding career. I work at a small publication right now, and most people start small. Yes, getting clips for your portfolio is very important -- more so than attending grad school.</p>