As a former journalism major at Penn State University, I knew the struggle of finding a self-fulfilling career would be a tough road. It’s not only that many people are vying for a job in my field of expertise; it’s the fact that journalism is a dying art form (or so you think).
Newspapers are considered “journalism” in most people’s minds. And, if you’re the person who considers newspapers as the only form of journalism; you’re probably the person who thinks this form of art is dying. It’s quite the contrary because journalism is not on the verge of extinction. It’s actually evolving thanks to technology.
Journalism has become part of the fabric of most of today’s digital media. It’s intertwined in social media, digital marketing, advertising, producing, blogging, athletics, big business, law firms, and everything that involves creating content at a professional level.
Without journalism, I wouldn’t have come across the opportunities I’ve had in my life. Especially, the opportunity I am blessed to have at this juncture in my life. Studying journalism has taught me how to write and speak at a high level; tell a story; be concise and to the point; improve my listening skills; collect useful facts and information; handle pressure and stressful situations; work towards a hard deadline; and many other things I’m probably not even aware of yet.
Journalism is as much a digital newspaper article as it is listening to a company-sponsored speaker and applying that knowledge to your job. Knowing just a little bit about the practice of journalism can help any marketing company or digital media organization in the long run.
Around the country, journalists and journalism students have taken other jobs due to the lack of a defined opportunity. That’s not a bad thing. There just isn’t an outlined role for the journalism students of today and tomorrow. The way we perceive journalism changes every time technology changes, and that’s seemingly every day. Today’s journalists are the digital marketers of tomorrow.
If I had to give advice to a college student who’s studying journalism and nervous about what the future holds; I would tell them to learn as much as you possibly can about journalism, communicating with others, and today’s technology. With those three, you can set yourself up within the future of digital marketing and digital media as a whole.
Remember; keep your eye towards the future. As for me, I’ll be assisting the ENX2 Marketing team with digital marketing needs of law firms and businesses around the country. For those who were in my position at one point, I look forward to helping and chatting about how journalism made you a better individual and digital media expert down the line.
While tying the loose ends of this article together, I came across this really interesting quote that I wanted to share with you all.
“Journalism is communication, an exchange of information and opinion, that changes shape with the way people communicate.” – Luca Staccini Anzanello.