Recently, I talked to journalists from around the world on the Journalists and Journalism group on professional social network LinkedIn. I asked whether higher qualifications are highly prized in the job market.
The response was instant and sustained over a period of a week and a half. A picture quickly emerged of the state of journalism from a variety of ages, skill sets and industries around the world. Ukraine freelance journalist Lesya Yaroshenko, had reservations going back to university to study further but she ‘found it useful’ and gave her ‘new connections in [the] academic sphere.
Keeping in touch with younger colleagues due to teaching practice gave new themes and angles for practical journalism,’ she says.
Emmadul Haque is a journalist working for the Financial Express, a major English language daily in Bangladesh. He says that ‘higher qualifications are important for job seekers.’
Having the job and attracting the higher rate of pay is all well and good – but a higher qualification may not necessarily guarantee getting a job at all. James Craig, former editor of the Marion County News and former news director of KWBW radio who is now a resident of Dallas, Texas dryly stated “[H]aving a Juris Doctorate hasn't helped me. You should hear the doors slam.”
Craig tells a common story; how tough the ‘real world’ can be. ‘Too many people enter professions with stars in their eyes and don't realise the work and dedication involved,” he says. ‘It's best to address [the drawbacks] on the very first day, not the day after graduation. There is a "weeding out" process that is a necessary part, especially in something like journalism where a certain amount of confidence, guts and determination are a necessary part of the job.’
Petra Weismayer from Munich paints an even grimmer picture for journalists explaining ‘higher qualifications help when you are in your 20s and 30s but once you’re older than 50, no[one] cares about experience or qualifications.’ Craig agrees, since ’some of the most experienced are getting [laid off] because it costs too much to keep them.’
United Kingdom based freelancer and publicist Jennifer Coles believes the best way in is through networking.
“The foot in the door seems to come from interning, which you get through contacts, a really influential blog, or having been to an elite University. Once you're in, you need to live and breathe news.”
Lynsey Hubbard, editor at TLC Media in the United Kingdom says “experience is definitely [the] key. Get as much work experience and freelance work as you can to help build up your portfolio - on both trade and consumer titles to show variety.”
Adaptability is more pertinent than ever. In the United Kingdom, Ireland and United States, the newspaper industries have shrunk – 10% in Ireland, 21% in the United Kingdom and 30% in the United States. Jobs are being slashed all around the world. Journalists and editors in Australia are also facing the chopping block, evidenced recently by Fairfax’ Media’s decision to outsource its subediting to Pagemasters. But the news isn’t all bleak.
According to a MEAA report entitled "Life in the Clickstream II", 60% of the Australian journalists interviewed are expected to adapt themselves to the changing ecology of media and technology. Only 8% of the journalists in these news rooms are given comprehensive support. 54% are simply expected to have familiarity with these technologies as they emerge and develop.
Nevertheless, 43% of journalists surveyed felt positive about their career prospects and 48% felt positive about the future of journalism overall.
Of course, newsrooms will merely push to modernize their production and publication instead of taking the traditional print route. Most major dailies now have a smartphone or tablet app available for download, with the Australian, Herald Sun, New York Times, The Times of London and The Age offering digital alternatives usually with some form subscription cost involved. Even the news wires such as the Associated Press and Reuters offer apps breaking written accounts of events as they’re filed. Journalists will merely have to suit their skills to the changing marketplace.
Much like any creative industry, journalism is fraught with rejection and heartache until one lands their ‘big break.’ Determination to get the experience will pay dividends but a University qualification can never substitute striving for by-lines.