Q. I want to advance and get a new job somewhere, but I don't know how to do that. Are there even jobs at dailies anymore? It seems most places are just laying off reporters.
I love making videos, blogging and all other social media-related things, so I was considering applying to a graduate school program for new media. But is there even a point in doing so? I already have a bachelor's degree in journalism and wonder if a master's in a related field is impractical to get in today's day and age. I would only want to go to Northwestern or Columbia, and doubts about even being able to get in plague me. But those schools seem to be the best places to make contacts and they have the most interesting new-media programs.
As a young journalist, I feel incredibly conflicted. Do I stay in a field where there may not be jobs in just a few years? Do I get a master's in new media or something else? Or, do I just completely switch jobs and pursue something with a bit more job stability?
Thank you so much for your time.
Where to Look?
A. You have done some good work in diversifying your skills. You need to take the same approach in choosing potential destinations.
Few daily newspapers are hiring right now, and everyone has an opinion about where dailies will be a few years from now.
All should agree, though, that whatever happens with dailies, there will be a much larger array of news companies and services out there. Some will be small, micro-local operations. Some will be foundation-funded and national.
There will be news on print, on computer screens, on handhelds and on the air.
And there will be some shaking out about what is news, what are other kinds of content, who creates it and who merely repackages and redistributes it.
If you have an interest in furthering your education, I would look more deeply into how those programs have changed, (they're all changing), and I would look at a wider range of programs. A degree in multimedia or a content area could get you into something fulfilling, even though we can't yet see where this will all wind up.
The smart people will be the ones who keep evolving and who are ready as things emerge. Those who wait until the picture gets clear before they jump will be two steps behind.
Reader's Digest version: Keep pushing your journalism career, as that is what you love, and pay attention to all the emerging vehicles for it. There's likely to be one that would work for you.
Coming Friday: She has had a good string of internships and is ready to go anywhere for the next. Is it an advantage or disadvantage to be local?
One comment about graduate school. Columbia does not accept students...
