Q. I'm currently in my second
year of a double major in linguistics and geography, but I'm very
interested in journalism, especially newspaper journalism. I am very
involved with my campus newspaper.
ASK JOE A QUESTION
|
To get your question answered on this page, send it to Joe. Please include your full name in your message. If you prefer that your surname not be published, please indicate that. Sign up to receive Ask the Recruiter by e-mail. (sent Monday-Friday at 8 a.m.) |
|
Last
summer, I completed an internship with a magazine, which I thoroughly
enjoyed, but now that I've enrolled in a co-op program for my
geography, I will no longer have any summers when I can do journalism
internships.
Will having a degree in something completely
different make recruiters think I'm not serious about journalism, or
will it put me at an advantage? Please note that I am not only
interested in reporting geographical/environment-related issues.
Should I get a master's degree in journalism, or is it unnecessary?
Thanks.
JenniferA. You
do not need a journalism degree to break into journalism. In fact,
newsrooms can be enriched by having people from different fields of
study.
But you must get some
professional experience to land good internships and jobs. That co-op
may be getting in your way. I worry that experience on the school paper
won't be enough.
As you are in your second year, I think you
should have time to squeeze in some more journalism internships. It
will become a matter of priorities. If journalism ranks high enough,
you'll get it done in between -- or maybe ahead of -- your two majors.
Now,
if you are already planning to go to grad school, a graduate degree in
journalism could effectively give you a couple more summers for
internships, and that could help you.
Whichever way you choose
to go, you need to have a good answer to this question: "What is it
about geography and linguistics that strengthens your abilities as a
journalist?" If you do not have a solid answer to that question, others
might infer that you aren't good at cross-applying what you learn.
Good luck!
Coming Monday: He is looking to make a move back to a previous employer, but wonders whether that will be bad for his resume.
If you don't have time for internships, at least try...
