As teenagers approach their latter years of high school, we are encouraged to evaluate our future and what career path we would take to fulfill our lives. Through pure enjoyment of reading and writing and after extensive research, I’ve decided to become a journalist with the desire to study at the University of Oklahoma- Gaylord College of Journalism & Mass Communication. Journalists “inform, entertain, and educate the world with political, social, business, sports, and a variety of other news” (“Journalism”). They should be curious, take an interest in people, and love writing (“Journalism”). It is important to understand the education or training requirements, skills or talents needed, salary and benefits …show more content…
The job is often full time but because news happens at all hours of the day, they may take on extra hours or work the weekends (“Summary”). Journalists can work in rural areas for a town newspaper, in big cities for magazines and news companies, or some journalists live internationally to report worldwide news (“Summary”).
“Journalism is the activity of gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and information” ( “What is Journalism? Definition and Meaning of the Craft”). Journalists are responsible for elucidating all the facts in a news story to make sure the people in a particular area know what is going on around them. Since there is such a variety in the types of journalism, their daily schedule is not the same. They could: “ research topics and stories… interview people… write and review articles… analyze and interpret information… and update stories” from day to day since the news is often tentative ( …show more content…
However, in the next ten years, it is predicted that the job market for journalists will decrease by -8 percent or 4,200 jobs lost (“Summary”). In different regions, the pay for journalism varies. In places like Oklahoma, the average journalist earns $35,050 a year ( “OES Maps”). However, in a state , such as New York, the mean wage is $62,980 ( “OES Maps”).
A journalist should have: “ an interest in life, love of language, a suspicious mind, friendliness, and determination” (“Chapter 2: What is a Journalist?”). They should be curious and take an interest in others (“Summary”) as they conduct interviews with people to get facts on a specific event with an eagerness to write (“ Chapter 2: What is a Journalist?”). They spend a lot of time composing, editing, and updating stories for the public (“