Journalism is a fascinating career path, with many different branches. It can cover local, national, and even international news or areas like sports, education, and the arts. If this is a career path that interests you, you may be wondering how to get started and whether you need a degree.
Basic skills
If you are looking at journalism courses, such as a degree course at https://schoolofjournalism.co.uk/, you will learn the skills needed to become a journalist. But if you choose not to do a degree, you will need to acquire the basic skills and knowledge yourself. If you are still at school, make sure you finish your education, particularly gaining good exam results in English. If you are not at school and you did not get these qualifications, it may be worth going to an adult education college to achieve these. Other skills that are useful are internet research, computing, and photo editing. If your school or college has a student magazine, get involved in the writing and editing process.
Also research exactly what a journalist does, understanding how they find stories and the ethical implications of this.
Find a niche
Find an area of journalism that really interests you, as this will allow you to connect well with your audience. It is then a good idea to start a blog. This is a chance to hone your journalism skills and gain feedback from readers. Share your posts on social media to increase your readership. These blog posts can form a portfolio that will show what you are capable of.
Apply for jobs
When applying for journalism jobs, you can show them your portfolio to showcase your skills and pitch story ideas. You can send both solicited and unsolicited applications to publications, both in print and online. It can be competitive, so do not get discouraged if it takes a while. Meanwhile, keep building your portfolio. Even if you do not want to do a degree, consider other courses that will build your skills and impress potential employers.
