From the outside, being a journalism major may seem super easy. I mean, it’s basically just writing right? Wrong. Journalism, while not as complex as something like engineering or medicine, is just as hard in different ways. And journalism is most definitely not just writing. Photo credit: StartupShockPhotos
You’re Writing ALL The Time. Yes, it’s true. You are constantly writing which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But when you’re constantly writing it can turn into a chore, almost and you can burn out. So yes, while journalism majors do write all the time, it is a sort of struggle because you constantly have to be thinking of ideas for articles as well as be able to write all the time without burning out.
You Gotta Interview People. This is a must for journalism majors. You’ve gotta interview people. The struggle with this is you can have anxiety about doing an interview, you’ve got to come up with questions, and you’ve got to be able to integrate that interview into whatever piece you’re writing. Plus, not everyone is comfortable with approaching strangers for interviews, so learning how to be comfortable with interviewing people can be a struggle.
There’s A Lot to Know. The writing structure, AP Style, vocabulary terms, interviewing skills, things to avoid in writing. This is only a few of the things that journalism majors are expected to know. Besides the obvious skill of writing, there are writing terms to implement in your writing, you’ve got to incorporate AP Style, you need to know terms so you don’t seem clueless and you’ve got to know how to execute a good interview. Journalism isn’t an easy field because it’s constantly changing and there are so many things to learn.
You Have to Be Multi-talented. In this digital age, journalists are now expected to know how to use programs like Photoshop, Indesign and some light coding. Journalists should be able to take their own photos, edit those photos, create videos to go along with stories, and be able to edit your own writing. Journalists who just know how to write and interview are at a disadvantage because a journalist now really needs to know a bit of everything.
Journalism is a hard major. But if you really enjoy it, it’s definitely worth it.