Career advice

[Perm]

EDIT: And for God's sake, make your mind up - on another thread you're talking about going over to the UK to play rugby? How on earth do you think you're going to get through your course in time to get a job if you swan off to the UK for a year?

Would finish my course while in Europe tbh, if I did go ahead with that idea.

 

[Smudge]

Would finish my course while in Europe tbh

Errr, how exactly? I really don't think you've thought this through.

 

[Perm]

Where abouts are you studying?

I'm studying at the SIT in Invercargill. Zero Fees ftw

 

[Perm]

You need something to distinguish yourself from the thousands of other journalism students who want to write about rugby and cricket (who doesn't!) rather than stolen bicycles and footpath upgrades. The only way to distinguish yourself as a uni student, is through exceptional grades or exceptional work experience. A job like the one you desire will not fall into your lap.

No, I know I will have to work hard to attain such a job, but I also know that my writing is good enough. I reckon it's just a matter of making a few contacts, getting published in a few places and acheiving good (being realistic here, no way I can get A+'s on every paper) grades for my course.

 

[Perm]

Errr, how exactly? I really don't think you've thought this through.

Read the second part of my post?

At this stage it's only an idea, would need to expand on that and make further plans, obviously. It's not like I'm going to pack my bags tomorrow and get on a plane.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Give us an e-mail if you are so inclined, Perm. I know a guy in Wellington who could do with the assistance of a keen, budding wannabe-journalist who can do some of the beating (and take the credit, apparently). Cricket related.

Not very glamorous though, but a bit more to add to the CV if you go for it, I guess.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Quite true!
And if you don't know anybody, how do you make such contacts ?

Start by writing your own references and making up a resume that features positions on all continents and a number of exotic locations (some of which are made up place names).

 

[Son Of Coco]

Just out of interest, is it possible to break into journalism these days without a journalism degree? I did read that it was once, but I'm not sure if this is the case. I wrote to the editor of the local paper, but never received a reply to the question. Being a frequent reader of this paper I fear I may have shocked him with a string of coherent and logical sentences.

A mate of mine is working with bits and pieces on the Inside Cricket magazine (or at least was) and he got his start writing for a cycling mag (he's never cycled) because his brother was working there and he sent a 'newsletter' type thing about his life in New York to his brother, who printed it out on the office printer, and his boss saw it and offered him a job. His brother is editor of Inside Cricket now hence the job there. This is proof of the 'who you know' theory I guess as his idea for the newsletter was a blatant rip off of something I did at the time and his was the inferior product

He does manage to end up in some interesting jobs.

 

[Goughy]

Come out to Bulgaria for a Semester and study at the National Sports Academy and play for the Rugby team.

Blog about sports in your spare time and then write a book about the experience.

Simple

 

[silentstriker]

Definitely get involved and write for your university newspaper about sports, and whatever other issues that you want.

And write some more. And more. After doing a bunch of those, see if a small local newspaper will allow you to do an ed-op piece on a sporting topic. And keep going from there.

You should definitely start now, at least getting involved at your university. Oh, and don't be an idiot and do what I did.

That is, unless you like having every Ethics professor that you'll have for the next three years completely pissed off.

 

[Matteh]

Just out of interest, is it possible to break into journalism these days without a journalism degree?

Friend's just graduated with a 2:1 in History at Oxford, he's doing a 6 month basic journalism course at some college in Hertfordshire come September, mainly just to learn shorthand itbt. After that he's all go.

 

[Natman20]

Just out of interest, is it possible to break into journalism these days without a journalism degree? I did read that it was once, but I'm not sure if this is the case. I wrote to the editor of the local paper,

In NZ you don't need a degree to be a journalist. Some countries require registration. The world is going to be taken over by non-proffessional bloggers and anyone with the internet.

 

[Langeveldt]

You need something to distinguish yourself from the thousands of other journalism students who want to write about rugby and cricket (who doesn't!) rather than stolen bicycles and footpath upgrades. The only way to distinguish yourself as a uni student, is through exceptional grades or exceptional work experience. A job like the one you desire will not fall into your lap.

Move to South Africa.. Then you can write about raging against Mugabe, or a kid going nuts in a shebeen with a gun.. Fantastic year I spent as a journalism student and pretty gutted that I dropped out, but photography is far more my thing..

 

[howardj]

No, I know I will have to work hard to attain such a job, but I also know that my writing is good enough. I reckon it's just a matter of making a few contacts, getting published in a few places and acheiving good (being realistic here, no way I can get A+'s on every paper) grades for my course.

Good man.

Put in place a plan and then tick off the boxes as you go.

 

[Smudge]

Just out of interest, is it possible to break into journalism these days without a journalism degree?

As a full-time gig, it's next to impossible, unless you're writing for a tiny country paper with a readership of three. Of course, many of the veterans in the industry started before journalism schools were set up, but nowadays, daily newspapers and TVs have very much bought into the schools.

In NZ you don't need a degree to be a journalist. Some countries require registration.

No degree needed, but 99% of new journalists in the industry will have a qualification.

 

[howardj]

I really admire journalists, as it's such a tough industry to do well in. My 2nd degree is journalism, but I didn't even bother looking for a job in the field (as much as I love writing) as I assumed it to be too difficult to land something half decent.

 

[Smudge]

And the pay, to be honest, is ****house. You've gotta be in it for the love.

 

[Woodster]

I am determined to make my way in the cricket writing world, despite the lack of an obvious journalism qualification. Continual pestering of sports editors, and basically getting your name around is the way I am approaching my dream.

 

[Perm]

Give us an e-mail if you are so inclined, Perm. I know a guy in Wellington who could do with the assistance of a keen, budding wannabe-journalist who can do some of the beating (and take the credit, apparently). Cricket related.

Not very glamorous though, but a bit more to add to the CV if you go for it, I guess.

Done.

 

[Son Of Coco]

As a full-time gig, it's next to impossible, unless you're writing for a tiny country paper with a readership of three. Of course, many of the veterans in the industry started before journalism schools were set up, but nowadays, daily newspapers and TVs have very much bought into the schools.



No degree needed, but 99% of new journalists in the industry will have a qualification.

I thought that might be the case, although you seem to have described my local paper to a tee. They call it the 'egg-timer' around these parts. By the time you've read it from front to back page the old googy egg is sunnyside up.

I've found it hard to even get a letter published in the online version of the paper...a lot more difficult than Dazza who reckons Wayno is a '****ing dropkick' funnily enough.

Thanks for your help!