As long as there is news and stories to report in the world, people are needed to report on them. Journalism is a career in high demand that’s expected to only need more good people into the future. The digital age is making some big changes to the field of journalism, with digital and online journalism now more important than traditional journalism. Modern journalists who understand the role that digital media plays when it comes to keeping the general public up to date with the latest developments and news from around the world will always find new and exciting opportunities. If you are interested in the idea of working in a career where you get to stay up to date with the latest news and be the first to know when something big happens, are able to work in a flexible way as either an employee or a freelancer, and take advantage of digital technologies in your work to drive your success, there are plenty of great reasons to consider getting into a career in journalism.
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Satisfy Your Curiosity
Many journalists are people who naturally want to gain more knowledge and are curious about things. If you are the type of person who never takes something at face value and often questions things to find out what, why, and what if in any situation, you’ll be glad to hear that as a journalist, you’ll be in the best role to ask these questions out loud and spend your time exploring a wide range of different situations to get to the bottom of them. As a journalist, getting information from people is going to be a part of your job, and you’ll need to be curious while able to be sensitive and empathetic while talking to others about a range of different topics. If you enjoy talking about anything with others and using this information to put stories together, a journalism degree from Saint Bonaventure University could be a good choice for you.
Be The First to Know
In a journalism role, you don’t need to wait around for the news to hit the headlines before you know about it. In this role, where you’re the one reporting the news, you’re often going to be the first in the know and will hear about things as they’re happening, or at least before the general public finds out. Journalists don’t only get to know what happened first, but often, in this role, you’ll be given information that doesn’t end up making the news. For example, if you’re reporting on a criminal case, you might uncover information that you’ll need to be careful with when it comes to whether or not you report it. If you’re able to keep some details to yourself and consider the impact of releasing certain things to the public, journalism is a great career choice for getting insider access.
Work Remotely
While there are many journalism roles that will allow you to work from an office 9-5 if that’s what you want, there are plenty of more flexible options for those who want to work in journalism too. A role as a journalist will often allow you to work remotely, with plenty of opportunities to travel and take your work to different places around the country or even around the world. Journalism is a career path where there are lots of opportunities to freelance, so it’s a great option to consider if you want to work in a role where you can enjoy the freedom to work from home or any other location of your choosing. If you love traveling, there are lots of different journalism roles where your work can satisfy your thirst for going to new places and exploring new destinations.
Learn New Things
Once you start working as a journalist, you’ll always have the chance to learn something new. In this role, you’re going to get to learn more about what works and what doesn’t. Journalists are often up there among the first people to make new discoveries and learn new things about society, the world in general, different industries and fields, and even themselves. In this career, you are encouraged to be introspective and focus on your professional and personal improvement, with lots of chances to challenge yourself on a regular basis and learn new things about yourself too. This career allows you to create the role that you want based on everything that you learn along the way.
Discover New Cultures
Working as a journalist is a great way to step of your own little world and learn more about what’s going on outside of your comfort zone. A career in journalism can take you to new areas that you may have never explored before or even to completely new countries around the world. It gives you the chance to get familiar with cultures that are different to your own, explore different traditions, norms, and cuisines, and get to know people from all walks of life. If you want a job that broadens your horizons and gives you the chance to do things, go places, and interact with people that you might not have had the chance to do otherwise, journalism could be the ideal choice of career.
Make Your Living Telling Stories
If you love to tell stories and make sure that the latest information is shared with others, journalism is a great career choice, allowing you to make your living doing this full-time. Some people are natural storytellers. If this sounds like you, and you’re often the first person that the people in your life will come to if they want to know more about something, you could find success in a role as a journalist. To be successful in this role, you’ll need to be skilled at and passionate about telling compelling stories that grab and keep hold of the attention of others.
Work With People
If you’re a people person who enjoys meeting others and building relationships with others, you will certainly enjoy the social side of being a journalist, where you will get to attend events, hold interviews, and have the chance to meet all kinds of people from various backgrounds. This role can often make your path cross with those of other people who you would never have met otherwise, which can challenge your perspective on the world and help you see things differently. For many journalists, this isn’t just a great way to widen their social circle, but it can also help you to develop more empathy and see things from the point of view of somebody other than yourself. You will also have the chance to learn more about your audience; journalism is a career where you spend a lot of time learning about other people and what they are interested in the most.
High Demand
Another great reason to get into a career in journalism is the high demand for professionals. Over the past few decades, journalism has changed a lot. It’s gone from mainly being print journalism in magazines and newspapers to a massive increase in digital and online journalism, with most people preferring to consume the news and get their stories online through websites, apps, and social media. Today, we are living in an age where there is more information available than ever before at the click of a button, which has only increased the demand for journalists even further.
Sense of Achievement
Whenever you see your name, by-line, or bio printed in a newspaper or magazine or published on a website after working on a post or article as a journalist, you’ll feel a sense of achievement and pride. No matter what you are working on, reporting, or writing about, seeing your name attached to your work so the world can see your efforts and the results of them can be hugely satisfying and bring about a massive sense of achievement that will keep you going when things are tough.
Types of Journalism
There’s a different type of journalism for anybody who wants to get into this role. Not every journalist will be somebody who spends their time chasing the latest breaking news. The different types of journalism give you a chance to create a career for yourself doing something that you enjoy. For example, if you are a huge sports fan, you might want to consider a career in sports journalism, where you’ll get the chance to attend games and sporting events and report on what happens. Or, if you like digging deeper into a story, finding out the truth behind things, and understanding the ‘why’ behind an event or situation, a career in investigative journalism might be perfect for you. Broadcast journalism might be ideal if you like the idea of a career in TV.
Journalists are in higher demand than ever before with various different types to choose from. It could be the perfect career for you if you enjoy telling stories, meeting new people, and learning about new things.
