Q: I'm at my wits end. I recently graduated from college, hoping to pursue a career in journalism. This B.A. is my second, the first was in business. I interned at a local publication in Detroit (Third Street Publications), and got some great clips, or so I thought. The problem is I'm finding it extremely difficult to break into the journalism field. Everyone wants months, or even years of experience. All I have is an internship, and a year of writing for the college newspaper. What I really want is to be a freelance writer, but finding employment in that area is even more difficult. What should I do? My fear is that I'll have to settle for a career in business, which is not what I want. I'm a writer. I also need a steady paycheck (student loans and all). I've exhausted all the job boards
> to no avail. I've looked into broadcast writing, newswriting, magazines, etc. With both a communications and business degree, a passion for writing, and a brief professional experience what's the next step? And how can I break into the field of journalism?
Currently Unemployed
A: This sounds very frustrating!
In the pursuit of a full-time job, I'd pursue three strategies simultaneously:
If every place you apply to tells you that you need more experience, apply to the smaller places they hire from. Get into the pipelines.
Don't get discouraged if places that don't have any immediate openings show you no interest.
Apply for business reporting positions. The demand is greater.
