I’m a fifth-year “super senior” majoring in journalism and history. I could have graduated with a broadcast degree last May, but I’m not really a fan of being on camera, and that’s really where the money is. I much prefer writing and figure a print journalism degree would benefit me. So I decided to stay in school for an extra year and make my minor another major, stay on my Dad’s health insurance and postpone the scary dip into the employment circus.
It seems like every day is a reminder that the end is near. College is going to be over, and it’s time to get serious. It’s not exactly exciting to think about all of the things that will happen after I graduate. I’ll have to move back in with my Dad, I’ll no longer have health insurance, and many of the luxuries that were afforded to me as a student will no longer apply. Even worse, I, like many other students, have accumulated a large amount of student loans. Those are going to have to be paid, and I know that the first bill is going to come and be a shocker.
My father is already harping on me to get a job. I appreciate that he is concerned, but I don’t know if he realizes that the field I’m going into isn’t exactly booming. If anything, it’s doing exactly the opposite, and it might take me a while to find a job. So I’ve gotten a head start.
My aspiration is to write for a travel magazine. I had an awesome internship last summer, and believe people when they tell you that internships are important because they most certainly are. Not only did I learn that I wanted to get into the magazine business, but I now have knowledge of the business, which many of my competing job applicants might not.
What is difficult is knowing that Wisconsin isn’t exactly the magazine Mecca, and considering my fiancé wants to stay in the Milwaukee area, I might have to settle for something that isn’t exactly my dream career. Something I have realized throughout college and two internships is that most college students do not find their dream job right after getting their degree. I’ve realized that it’s going to be an entry-level job for me, and I’ve given myself enough time to accept that. I might have to settle for part-time, low pay and no respect, but at least it’s a way to get my foot in the door.
If anyone has given me good job-hunting advice it’s this: start early. I’ve e-mailed a few different newspapers and talked on the phone with a few media companies, but, of course, they don’t have job openings. But just by talking to them, sending them my resume and work samples and getting myself into their head can get me a step ahead of the curve. That’s what I started doing in the fall, and now I’m full-on applying for jobs, and there is one that I’m seriously pursuing.
For us journalists out there, we know that newspapers are quickly going online, and news is coming out faster and needing more interactive media included with the story. Having the broadcast background, I’m really lucky to be quite experienced with video and audio.
Having both of those components to add to my knowledge of reporting and writing makes me a multiplatform journalist, something that employers say is valuable to have these days. I know what it takes to make me marketable, but my suggestion to other students out there is to start looking at what employers expect from applicants and cater to those wants.
If they want you to have knowledge of Web page design, take a computer science course in Web design. Be as marketable as you can be.
So, as I am busy working on two separate capstone projects and working diligently for UW-Eau Claire’s news media, I’m looking for a job. I’m sure most of you are, too, and I want to say: happy hunting, and good luck. Get your resume checked out, and learn about the job application process because it can be brutal. Keep in mind that it might take time, and you may not get what you want. But in this economy, I’m hoping to at the very least find a job that has something to do with my major, even if the reality is that most people may never work in a career that comes close to relating to their major. But here’s hoping!
DuPont is a senior print journalism and history major and copy editor for The Spectator.
