There is a lot of debate at present as to the longevity of Journalism (in particular print journalism). For budding writers, like myself, this poses a question over how and indeed, whether, to enter into the industry.
Some would say that writing a blog, such as this, would be a suitable and easy path into a Journalistic career. By showing that you have a commitment to writing, that it is something you enjoy in your spare time, some would say is enough to show to a potential employer. Perhaps even the content of your writing is irrelevant and some of the most famous current writers have made their name by writing controversial comments that have got them noticed.
However, on talking to a few professionals within the industry (David Randall, Keith Howitt), it would appear that to even hope for a chance of working on a paper or magazine, you need to have basic Journalist skills, that can only be taught and proven by the NCTJ qualification. To gain this, you have to pay for the privilege. This can be anything from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds!
Does this guarantee you a long and fulfilling career? Certainly not. We can predict that print journalism will carry on decreasing in it's popularity and that many people will gradually turn to the internet and other technological advancements to gain their knowledge. And we can learn and adapt with this technology. So why should we have to take extra courses to attempt to secure ourselves a job within journalism? Probably because anyone can write down their opinions, anyone can write a blog and it's hard to stand out when there are tonnes of other people wanting the same result as you. It would once again appear to be money that judges who can get the furthest in their quest for the perfect job.
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