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How will I be able to secure a career with a journalism degree that will support me financially and make me happy? #Fall25
I hear that journalism majors don’t have a lot of job opportunities and I want to major in journalism because it relates to my passion for writing. I am passionate about writing because I love the creativity of writing and the freedom of expression it gives. I want to know that my major will help me get a job that relates to my passion and will help me be financially stable. I know that journalism isn’t a strong career path and I plan to possibly minor in communications to add to my journalism degree because of the networking and career opportunities.
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7 answers
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Barbara’s Answer
I encourage you to choose something you're passionate about. That will get you further than any career you choose because you think it's the right thing to do. Your degree is a small part of what will make you successful. Your writing skills and your passion will take you far.
Just start writing. If there's an interest you have, something you're good at, build a web site about it, do research about it, write LinkedIn stories about it. Approach companies for an unpaid internship, both through your school or on your own. You'll have an even better chance with small businesses who just need help with posting and marketing. Offer to help them write an article that puts them in a thought leadership position. In other words, think outside the box! Then you'll have a lot of real-world writing and communications examples show when you start seeking out jobs.
Best of luck!
Just start writing. If there's an interest you have, something you're good at, build a web site about it, do research about it, write LinkedIn stories about it. Approach companies for an unpaid internship, both through your school or on your own. You'll have an even better chance with small businesses who just need help with posting and marketing. Offer to help them write an article that puts them in a thought leadership position. In other words, think outside the box! Then you'll have a lot of real-world writing and communications examples show when you start seeking out jobs.
Best of luck!
Updated
Abdulkabir’s Answer
Hi Questioner!
You can be financially stable as a full-time journalist. You just have to be good at what you do, and integrate technology into your field. This would help you to be more effective and give you an edge over your contemporaries.
You can be financially stable as a full-time journalist. You just have to be good at what you do, and integrate technology into your field. This would help you to be more effective and give you an edge over your contemporaries.
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Joseph’s Answer
If you're passionate about writing and want it to support you financially, it depends on how you define that passion. Entry-level jobs in traditional print or broadcast journalism are limited due to the shift towards online content.
If you can adapt to creating web-based content, opportunities exist in writing for social media platforms like Facebook or creating articles for websites.
If you want to use your communication skills professionally, there are roles that can provide financial stability, such as public relations, marketing communications, and technical writing.
Since graduating with a journalism degree in 1981, I've worked in various fields, including engineering magazines, marketing communications, public relations, and technical writing. These roles involved creating manuals, online help, and blogs to assist users in achieving their goals.
Regarding financial security, I've held 17 jobs, with durations ranging from six months to six years, and experienced layoffs seven times. I retired in 2018 at 61 but continue to write through a personal blog.
If you can adapt to creating web-based content, opportunities exist in writing for social media platforms like Facebook or creating articles for websites.
If you want to use your communication skills professionally, there are roles that can provide financial stability, such as public relations, marketing communications, and technical writing.
Since graduating with a journalism degree in 1981, I've worked in various fields, including engineering magazines, marketing communications, public relations, and technical writing. These roles involved creating manuals, online help, and blogs to assist users in achieving their goals.
Regarding financial security, I've held 17 jobs, with durations ranging from six months to six years, and experienced layoffs seven times. I retired in 2018 at 61 but continue to write through a personal blog.
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Tom’s Answer
Hi, Jaylynn. I would strongly urge you to stay away from journalism for several reasons. 1. If you love writing, journalism doesn't seem to be a good outlet. You will be assigned topics and asked to write on a lot of things that likely won't interest you. 2. The field of journalism has lost enormous credibility, particularly in covering the news. Media companies are making deep cut as audiences look elsewhere for information. This is a key reason jobs are scarce.
My advice is to seek other ways to write. What are you passionate about? What company or organization reflects those passions in products, services, or mission? When you find these companies, apply for work there as a content creator for blogs, social media, web content, etc. Also consider writing for advertising agencies or magazines. I see jobs for skilled copywriters that pay very well.
So, what do these jobs look for in terms of qualifications? Marketing, English, and journalism majors are most common. I would suggest a marketing major as a broad base you can use to move in many different directions.
Next, manage your expectations. All entry level positions outside of STEM majors, start at the low end, but I'd wager higher than journalism. You need to prove your skills, and once you do, your pay will increase. To that end, build and update a digital portfolio of your work, because people seeking writers need to see what you turn out.
The elephant in the room is AI. About 18 months ago, human writing was pronounced dead and that AI has replaced it. After experiencing the dreadful content AI churned out, writers are back in demand. Make certain you can use AI tools for research, review, assessment, and even creating a first draft. However, make sure you mold that content so it comes from you, a real human being.
My advice is to seek other ways to write. What are you passionate about? What company or organization reflects those passions in products, services, or mission? When you find these companies, apply for work there as a content creator for blogs, social media, web content, etc. Also consider writing for advertising agencies or magazines. I see jobs for skilled copywriters that pay very well.
So, what do these jobs look for in terms of qualifications? Marketing, English, and journalism majors are most common. I would suggest a marketing major as a broad base you can use to move in many different directions.
Next, manage your expectations. All entry level positions outside of STEM majors, start at the low end, but I'd wager higher than journalism. You need to prove your skills, and once you do, your pay will increase. To that end, build and update a digital portfolio of your work, because people seeking writers need to see what you turn out.
The elephant in the room is AI. About 18 months ago, human writing was pronounced dead and that AI has replaced it. After experiencing the dreadful content AI churned out, writers are back in demand. Make certain you can use AI tools for research, review, assessment, and even creating a first draft. However, make sure you mold that content so it comes from you, a real human being.
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Derick’s Answer
Pursue your love for writing, but stay flexible. A journalism degree can be valuable if you add digital skills like making content, planning social media, or editing videos. Adding a minor in communications is a good idea because it gives you more choices. Concentrate on storytelling, being adaptable, and building connections. This is how you can turn your creativity into a rewarding career and income.
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Sadie’s Answer
Every degree will teach you a specific skillset, and you can use that skillset in any environment you want! A degree in journalism will teach you how to conduct research, how to communicate effectively with different audiences, how to capture attention, and more. All of these are important skills in a professional setting that you could apply to careers in marketing, analytics, or really in any field. Take your strengths and passion and identify these skills you can hone to be a well-rounded candidate. You'll find your strengths and jobs that suit what skills you enjoy using.
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Sharon’s Answer
There are remote jobs on LinkedIn that need journalism majors for different companies. A lot of interesting ones.