Knowing If A Journalism Career Is Right For You

If you are eyeing for a journalism career just because of fame or money, you should know first if this is really the profession that would suit you. You can do this by conducting a simple research on how it is like to be a journalist. Try surfing the Internet for articles that are written by journalists themselves and find out their personal accounts on the profession.

These are the best articles that you should read when considering a journalism career because you will have an idea how it is like when they were starting. You will also get some tips from them in terms of applying or even writing for a certain publication. Aside from that, you can also get realizations from their personal experiences.

Real journalism world

Although a journalism career opens a lot of doors and opportunities like getting into different places and meeting people from all walks of life, some people—especially those who are not really cut out for it—might find these realizations a turn off:

1. There's really no money. If you want to get rich, then a journalism career should be the least option that you should have in mind. Why? because writing as a profession does not really pay that much ever since. Imagine this, you will be writing several articles in one day only to find out that you have spent more time and money that what the company pays you for. Although some big newspaper companies give other journalists better pay, it is not always the case in medium-sized publications. So, if you are looking forward to great pay when you enter a journalism career, dream on.

2. Less room for promotion. Once you enter a journalism career, it is best to give up your hopes for any promotion. This is because unlike in other industries where there are so many stages and levels to get to the top, there is really no room for promotion in a journalism career. Here, you only have two options—being a journalist or a reporter on the field and being an editor who stays in the office and sits on a desk editing works and articles. Since writing does not have age limit, the only room for promotion that one has is if the editor left the position and transferred to another company or section or if the editor dies of old age!

3. Your life could be in danger. Journalists—especially the hard-hitting ones or those in the field at all times—have their lives at risk because of their job. If you feel that you are not the type of person who would be willing to sacrifice his or her life for the sake of truth and to bring people the news no matter what would it cost you, it's time to cross out a journalism career from your options as early as now.

4. Prone to humiliation from editors. If you are not the type of person who have high tolerance for criticism in your works, then stop dreaming for a career in journalism. Why? because many editors could be hard on new writers because they feel that they have so much to learn. Many editors are hard on writers especially on their works because they feel that this is the best way to motivate them. For many, this strictness works but not on all cases especially if the person is not tough enough for a serious job.