The job as a journalist goes far beyond reporting and writing.
While the search for my next career move continues, one aspect never changes: my interviews.
"So if you already have an established career, why are you wanting to switch to journalism?"
My obvious answer: Because I've just spent the last seven years and thousands of dollars on a career I hope to use someday.
But then I reflect on the question asked. Is my possible employer really that concerned with my opinions on my future, or is there a subtle hint lying deeper with in the question?
A part of me wants to believe that the interviewer values my personal goals, but it seems to me the person is warning me to steer clear of the industry.
Whether journalists want to believe it, our career is dying. Most news organizations aren't hiring, they're firing. And if they are hiring, it's not some fresh college graduate with excellent writing and video skills.
Next question in the interview: "How well are your html and flash skills?"
Excuse me? Didn't you just hear what I said? I just said I was versatile – I can write, shoot and edit video, produce newscasts and know my way around the newsroom – and you want more?
It's strange, I'm graduating in May from one of the top journalism schools in the country, and I may not get a job in online news – and it's not necessarily something I can blame on the struggling economy.
But maybe what I have spent the last several years studying will be enough to push me into the next generation of new media. Julie Starr, a New Zealand journalist said students don't need to be an expert in everything but they need to know what's right for the story according to our market.
The industry needs quality journalists now more than ever before. Hopefully those organizations ready to reinvent their websites will want to take a chance with me.
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