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How To Decide On A College Major

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

You will find plenty of articles published all over the internet that talk about how to decide on a college major.  Most of those articles will tell you to ask questions about yourself and your skills.  They will tell you to ask questions about what you really hate to do so that you make sure you don’t accidentally end up doing something like that.  Those are all good tips that you should consider.  I have one more for you though.

I recommend you choose whatever comes naturally and easy to you once you have studied for about a year in college.  If you can get away with it, I suggest that you put off declaring your major until you absolutely have to.    Some schools will let you choose general studies for the first two years.  That is your chance to enroll in a bunch of different classes that catch your interest.  There is a really good chance that after taking some of these classes, you may change your mind about what you  really want to pursue.

The unfortunate thing about college is that when you attend right out of high school like you should, you are a little wet behind the ears yet in terms of knowing what you want to do with your life.  You have so many things you need to experience in life that will shape who you are and who you want to become.  If you enroll in that engineering program just because you are good in math and science, you might discover after year three that you aren’t into this material as much as you thought you would be.  You then realize that you decided to study this because the jobs pay well and not because it is something you really want to do.

Usually by your second year in college, you will start having very strong feelings toward a particular subject.  I was one of those engineering kids who changed over to computer science.  After I had changed to computer science, I was thinking that maybe I should have chosen economics instead.  I find the concepts in both basic and advanced economics very interesting and very easy to comprehend.  I never would have thought that I would be so interested in such a thing had I not taken my first economics 101 class as an elective.

College is an exceptionally eye opening experience.  You will meet so many new friends and see things from so many different perspectives it is almost impossible not to have some impact on you.  During this part of your life, you are sorting out who you are and who you really want to become.   Don’t rush into spending tens of thousands of borrowed dollars by enrolling in a curriculum that you end up hating.  Take general studies until your path becomes obvious or until the university forces you to make a final decision.

Finding a Job in Journalism after College

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

To a college student, journalism might seem a glamorous and adventurous profession. The daily grind of it may be a bit less enthralling, but the field does offer many great opportunities. As you head out into the world of breaking news, it’s a good idea to plan your career path before you set out on the road.

1. Define what branch of journalism you’ll be pursuing. Most conventional newspapers are on the decline, having been all but replaced by online and cable news outlets. Keep in mind that freelancers often need to find a “day job” as well in order to pay the bills, so time management skills will be essential. Also, be prepared to live frugally.

2. You’ll probably need to find a position as an intern to learn the ropes of journalism. At this point, foregoing a paycheck in order to gain experience is worth the trade-off. Make note of your mentor’s techniques and don’t be afraid to ask questions as you go along.

3. Now is the time to hone those crucial “people skills.” Many journalism jobs require you to interview people or to act as newshound and sniff out stories. For in-person profiles, planning your questions prior to the interview will make it go much more smoothly.

4. Always check the market listings that are available. If there is one book writers count on as a resource, it is Writer’s Market, which is a compendium updated yearly that offers market listings, as well as advice from professional writers. In terms of online job boards, www.freelancwritinggigs.com and the writing gigs section of CraigsList are two excellent options.

5. Look to writers you admire to find your own voice, incorporating elements of their style into your own. This doesn’t mean that you should plagiarize them; merely learn from them as you grow as a writer. Over time, you’ll have established your own unique writing voice.

Whatever branch of journalism you may pursue, it pays to do some research about the field before you graduate. There are many college scholarships available in this field, some named in honor of great news people. For an aspiring journalist, this could be a way to get on the path toward your dream of becoming a professional writer.

Ruth Williams is a journalist who does a wide variety of writing, including short article writing on career advice, online degrees, higher education, online universities, and financial aid for adults.