EASYUNI Ultimate University Guide 2013 Issue 6 | Page 41

E XC L U S IVE F EAT U RE
Qualification and Training
The Nature of Journalism
butter is on what
A journalist’s bread and
hin a given timeline
he or she writes wit
several different
for the masses. There are
lism that all focus on
subheadings for journa
king it a very diverse
a particular skill set, ma
ver your interests are,
field of study. Whate
dia, there is a job in
from sports to social me
h it.
journalism that deals wit

Degrees in journalism
range from an Associa
te’s
degree up to a Maste
r’s degree. There are
several
colleges that offer the
degree as a postgrad
uate
study, allowing stude
nts from other major
s to
participate in the pro
gramme and exempli
fying
it as a career that req
uires different persp
ectives
and expertise.
To pursue a degree in
journalism, you must
have
good grades along wi
th a focus in languag
e and
the humanities. The lat
ter are optional, since
the
field is always looking
for new experiences
from
those who are from dif
ferent backgrounds wi
th
different interests. So
long as you are willin
g to
work and open to lea
rning, becoming a jou
rnalist
can be rewarding.
If you have a specific
subfield of journalism
that you want to pursu
e, make sure you have
a
portfolio of work perta
ining to that subfield
to
allow professors and
potential employers to
see
what skills you have an
d what you may need
to
improve upon. Develop
that portfolio often, eve
n
if you already have a
position; it will show
your
employers you are co
nstantly looking to im
prove
yourself and your wo
rk.

Tools of the Trade
As a journalist, you must be a
reliable person who can finish your
work in a timely manner.

place, there is a need for you to be
punctual, so that calls for insatiable
appetite for latest information and
discipline. If you don’t have both,
you will not only fail to get the story
across to the readers on time but
your reputation will nosedive too.
Open-mindedness
is also crucial,
as you will be
encountering
new things you
might not have
experienced firsthand before.

Deadlines are crucial and you
may be working on a very tight
schedule (yes, even on weekends)
to get a particular story out to the
public at a particular time. Since
most journalism jobs require that
you conduct interviews and make
appointments to visit an event or

give out. Understand where the
information is coming from and
check the credibility of the sources
before disseminating it– that is
your responsibility.
A journalist must also be able
to communicate in an effective
manner through his or her speech,
writing, or both. Journalism is all
about communication. If a person
cannot communicate efficiently,
they will have a hard time relating
with their co-workers, interviewees
and event coordinators on a
prof