Having a job as a journalist is very exciting. There are so many things in this industry that one can do, and the possibility of becoming a little personality (or VIP) in your home country is what attracts many people to journalism jobs.
There are many universities across the globe that prepare students for a journalist profession, but most of the journalists who become famous didn't follow specialized courses. So what are the actual possibilities of getting hired as a journalist? One can become a reporter, a camera man, a news presenter, talk show host, or can get many other behind the scenes jobs. While some of the jobs don't require a specific diploma (the reporter, for instance), there are some that do: camera man, sometimes the news presenter, or the talk show host.
Some or most of these professionals usually worked for their school's newspaper or radio station, so that is where they got their experience from, but the ones with a diploma aren't less prepared. They might only be a little bit more conscious about the rules of a good journalist.
Other than working for these mass media, a journalist that finished a college and has a diploma can work for an advertising agency, for a public relations agency, or as a public relations person for institutions, VIPs or companies.
Contrary to what people commonly think, public relations people, or PRs, are those trained in dealing with the press, giving a press release, or a statement with a lower importance because the person who had to be there could not be present due to various reasons.
These public relations people will either work on a contract for a single occasion, or will have a permanent contract, and will be in permanent contact with the executives they have to represent, in order to keep an updated image for them, their products or services. Also, the image from the beginning might change over time, so that needs to be redone.
In close relation to the PR, there are the advertising agencies. These agencies need creative individuals who will think, create and implement advertising strategies for the company. Of course, the firms in need of publicity will present their wishes, targeted clients, views on the products and any other information needed for the campaign. At times, all these can be put together by the creative team within the firm creating the ad, or it can be completely changed.
No matter the domain of activity of the journalists, they need to be people with a lot of creative force, with a strong personality and new views on what needs to be made public or not. There is also the possibility of freelancing, but a part-time job is rarely found. As per the requirements of the company that you want to work for, you might even be requested to work overtime or during the weekends. Consider everything really well before making a choice that could put you in delicate or dangerous situations.
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