Twice in the last week I’ve encountered writers or bloggers who’ve run into a bad patch in their careers and are wondering if it makes sense to go back to school and get a master’s degree in journalism.
Bottom line: you don’t need a degree to get work as a writer.
Even if you have no professional journalism experience, j-school isn’t the only answer.
I’ve been there. In college I was editor of the student newspaper but my degree was in English literature, so I went to journalism grad school because I thought I needed “real” training. After a year, I realized a masters in journalism was for people who had absolutely no previous experience writing or wanted to be an academic.
I was neither – and struggling to support myself. So after a year I quit and got a job at as a trade magazine writer and editor (there was a recession, entry-level newspaper jobs were non-existent). Many years later, after I’d worked as a weekly and then daily newspaper reporter and then as a freelance writer, I went back to grad school – as the professor. I taught online newswriting to grad students. My only qualifications were those years I’d spent practicing the craft.
So if you’re contemplating going back to school to give your writing career a kick in the pants, there are other ways:
If you’re already writing, stick with it. Find some regular gigs – it is possible in this economy. If you have very little experience, you may need to start small and work your way up – and in these days of Craigslist writing jobs and Web content producers, there are lots of opportunities for starting small.
Blog. There’s no substitute for writing day in and day out. If you don’t want to maintain your own blog, find one on a subject you’re interested in and pitch a few blog posts. I don’t ordinarily advocate writing for free, but if you’re just starting out, you’ve gotta prove to somebody you can do the work – but then move on. And if you’re already established, hunt for paid gigs, they’re out there.
If you’re worried about your skills being out of date, there’s an abundance of non-degree track classes on using multimedia in journalism you can take online or in person. Organizations like the Knight Digital Media Center and News University offer scholarships or cover part of the expense. Take lots of them, and while you’re at it, do a lot of networking so you meet people who could potentially open doors for you.
Find someone with the job you’d like to have some day. Follow them on Twitter. Invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn. If they live in the same town you do, invite them to lunch. Ask them to mentor you. Don’t become a stalker. Do soak up as much knowledge as they’re willing to impart – then when you’ve got your writing business up and running pay it forward to some other acolyte.
Yes, getting a master’s degree could give you some official validation in the profession, and not having that might bug you in some deep down part of your being, a lot like the way that it still bothers me. But you don’t need it. Just go do it.
Great post Michelle! After getting our undergraduate degrees, many friends and acquaintances started looking at grad school, some as a continuation of their education…some because they still felt directionless…
To me, grad school has never seemed necessary. Why get a degree to write, when I’ve already been writing for years!?
With determination and initiative, fledgling writers can get pretty far, without spending thousands of dollars for an M.A. or M.F.A. Research, networking, pitching…the occasional continuing education course…I’ve always thought it best to learn by doing.
Just out of curiosity, what does the academic side of journalism entail? Is it similar to an MA in MassComm?
Yes. I agree. A writing portfolio covering the various styles you are interested in will take you where you want to go.
Thanks for the post. I just discovered your blog, but I’m already hooked. I have a BA in English and have often toyed with the idea of going back for my Masters in Journalism, basically for the same reasons you covered in your post: a desire for legitimacy, the need to be on equal-footing with the agencies I work with, etc. Now I’m trying to get serious about freelancing, after stumbling into it accidentally, and your blog provides a lot of helpful tips for us newbies. Thanks again.
Hey everyone. I’m actually an MSJ student at Medill. Oddly enough, I’m not here because I want the typical news job…I think I want something more in the way of management/communications, but I thought I needed to understand the journalism business. I also wanted new media training, and I’m taking media management courses through the Kellogg business school. For me, graduate school was a good choice because in addition to (hopefully) getting ahead in my career, I hope to one day teach at a university. So I guess it’s all about your own personal goals and what you want to do with your career. I’m lucky in that Medill allows me to sort of branch out and explore a lot of my interests, which is kind of what I wanted out of a j-school.
My thoughts exactly. Right out of college I felt like I needed the validation of a MA to be a real journalist. Although I had a good experience in grad school, I quickly realized what I really needed was the kind of on the job training that no school can give you.
Michelle Rafter
Programs differ. Some are tailored to people whose BAs were in a different subject & are learning journalism for the first time – those programs have lots of basic instruction on reporting, writing, etc., plus classes on ethics, etc. Others are heavier on research and journalism/communications theory and require students to do some type of thesis paper/project. Some are a blend of the two.
Good point Doreen – and all the more reason to have your portfolio posted somewhere online, be it at your own Website or blog or on the Website of a writers’ association or group that provides such a service, like MediaBistro.com, Author’s Guild, ASJA, FreelanceSuccess.com, etc.
Good luck Kimberly. There are many opportunities for mid-career training that don’t require going back for a full MA, hope you can take advantage of some of them. The best training, though, is to do lots and lots of writing. Good luck.
Michelle R.
Melissa: You’ve listed some great reasons for going to j-school, and I agree 100 percent that the decision mus be based on one’s personal goals. I just don’t think j-school is the only avenue, especially if someone already has some training and doesn’t see academia or management in their immediate future. On the other hand, I could see how the current economic climate might make school an appealing option to pounding the pavement for a full-time news gig.