Student with a question

[TRabinowitz]

Hey everybody,

I am currently a junior at Hofstra University and I have been writing about high school basketball for a branch website of Rivals.com since September and I have freelanced for other basketball websites in the past. I have also worked as a member of production support with CBS Sports for a few years now. My currently declared major is Television/Video (I would be looking to get into the production end), but I've gotten to love the writing and am thinking of switching my major (I am not too far into the TV course work so I wouldn't be killed credit wise or financially). The journalism program here is for a bachelor of arts in print journalism. My question is, what type of jobs are realistic to get with a bachelors degree? how beneficial in terms of finding jobs would it be to go for a masters after my undergrad career? I also know that plenty of people that work in TV production do not have degrees in television production and a lot of them have degrees in English and other writing-oriented programs, so I figured that I do not need a degree in television to necessarily get a TV job.

All help/opinions/advice is appreciated.

 

[GBNF]

"how much beneficial in terms of finding jobs would it be to go for a masters after my undergrad career"?

Umm...very beneficial?

 

[BB Bobcat]

If you want to work in newspapers -- and I don't know why any sane person under 25 would -- I would say a bachelor's is all you need. Practical experience is much more important than a bunch of graduate degrees anyway.

 

[Barsuk]

Unless you intend to work in academia, you don't need a master's in journalism ... and you're not going to make enough money to make it worthwhile to take on the extra loans.

 

[BigSleeper]

I agree with Barsuk, a masters in journalism is absolutely pointless unless you intend to teach. In journalism, experience rules.

As for an undergraduate major, I suggest something else. If you're already finding opportunity to learn in the field, you're eventually going to learn everything there is to know to succeed in journalism. Earn an undergraduate degree in something like business administration, engineering or computer science, and minor in journalism (I do believe classes in ethics and law of mass comm are beneficial).

If I could do it all over again, I would have passed on J-School and gone straight to the university's school of technology.

 

[WaylonJennings]

I think a law degree is basically, or should at least, going to become the new masters in journalism. In fact, I think schools should set up something where you can somehow get a journalism concentration with your JD.

That way, you get a professional degree for your money.

Of course, journalism people wouldn't like that because it gives someone a big-money "out," but if I was a law school, I'd think about including journalism in its public-interest work loan forgiveness program.

We need to start thinking creatively about how to keep bright young people in this business.

 

[Diabeetus]

I'd go for computer science with a j-minor.

 

[Pulitzer Wannabe]

I thought the interesting part was that even teachers aren't encouraging kids to check out local newspaper sites. That's pretty bad.

This just ****ing sucks. I'm sure the majority of us centered our entire lives around this career, and now it's being taken from us. ****.

 

[forever_town]

My impression is that if you're getting a bachelor's in journalism, it doesn't make sense to get a master's in it unless you plan to teach. I don't really think there really isn't much more you're going to learn in a master's program.

I've pondered grad school myself (my B.A. is in English), and even then, former colleagues have told me I'd be wasting my time.

 

[Stitch]

Master's would be nice to teach at juco and pick up a few thousand bucks. If I were to do that, I would do it online though.

 

[Screwball]

I also know that plenty of people that work in TV production do not have degrees in television production and a lot of them have degrees in English and other writing-oriented programs, so I figured that I do not need a degree in television to necessarily get a TV job.

The same is true for newspapers. There are plenty of people who work for newspapers and do not have journalism degrees.

 

[mustangj17]

you cant get any kind of job with a journalism degree. stick with tv/video... if you are that good of a writer you can parlay that into a diff. job later

 

[BYH]

you cant get any kind of job with a journalism degree.

Really? I'm 12 years out of college and gainfully employed (well, for now, anyway).

But hell, you said I can't get a job. Guess I better get used to eating government cheese.

 

[Boom_70]

you cant get any kind of job with a journalism degree.

Really? I'm 12 years out of college and gainfully employed (well, for now, anyway).

But hell, you said I can't get a job. Guess I better get used to eating government cheese.

and drinking government Kool Aid

 

[spud]

you cant get any kind of job with a journalism degree. stick with tv/video... if you are that good of a writer you can parlay that into a diff. job later

Responses like these further my view that journalists themselves are doing more to drive the profession into the ground than are outward forces. Seems like an unnecessary whiplash to me.

 

[shotglass]

Ah, it's just somebody bitter with their own life, and he's projecting it upon all of us.

I fully intend to be gainfully employed until I retire on my own terms, and it's going to be in PRINT journalism.

P.S. If you spell "can't" without an apostrophe, maybe you CAN'T get a print job.

 

[TRabinowitz]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I am taking a preliminary course in journalism to see how I like the course work and then will decide whether to stay in journalism or to stay in TV/Video.

 

[Tom Petty]

Ah, it's just somebody bitter with their own life, and he's projecting it upon all of us.

I fully intend to be gainfully employed until I retire on my own terms, and it's going to be in PRINT journalism.

P.S. If you spell "can't" without an apostrophe, maybe you CAN'T get a print job.

yeah, but you're like two years from retirement age, aren't you?

 

[Tom Petty]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I am taking a preliminary course in journalism to see how I like the course work and then will decide whether to stay in journalism or to stay in TV/Video.

i'd go back and read what bigsleeper wrote several posts up. he pretty much nailed it. if you're interested in this profession, minor in journalism with an out as a major. and when i'm filling a job, clips impress me much more than someone's major.

 

[lone star scribe]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I am taking a preliminary course in journalism to see how I like the course work and then will decide whether to stay in journalism or to stay in TV/Video.

Correct my misconception about the video/production end of things, but if you're working in that area, don't you have the opportunity to write as a producer? Seems to me that's the technical background you want, with the ability to write. But I have advised students generally against getting into print journalism without some kind of technical (video, Internet, etc) expertise. At our shop, that's where all the growth is.