Graduate School or Bust?
I was having lunch with a college professor recently when she told me about a former journalism student applying for food stamps. After finishing undergrad last year, he moved to New York to attend graduate school. For a masters in journalism. At what could probably be considered the biggest downturn in the field. Smart? Maybe not. But since New York is still the center of the publishing universe, you can’t say it wasn’t a strategic move. Living in New York gives you more access to journalism’s movers and shakers. But is it worth it if you walk away from the grad school experience with more than $90,000 in student loans and no job in sight? Any Gen Jers out there with grad school experience? What did you get your degree in? Why? Why did you decide to go back to school at all?
October 26th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
I’m not going to grad school, but I moved to New York City about a year ago, right before the economic collapse became “official”.
Despite the access to the “movers and shakers,” neither my fiancee nor I have been able to find a paying job in journalism, and have been paying the bills through various internships, freelance jobs and good luck.
I don’t regret our move for a moment. Even though it’s hard sometimes, it has been an adventure, and I like to think we will be in the right place at the right time, someday.
October 27th, 2009 at 9:21 am
I didn’t go to grad school for journalism, but rather public affairs and other managerial-oriented fields. I did journalism “on the side.” For me, and this is only a personal experience, it was better to learn policy analysis rather than pyramid structures. And what digital skills I did need, I could teach myself and glean through student media experience. In the end, I wanted to use my public affairs background not to work in government but to write about and critique it from an informed perspective. And I don’t think skipping journalism grad school caused me any harm. Rather, I feel I’m more versatile in my skill set – and employers (in journalism, public and nonprofit sectors) are more likely to value my diverse interdisciplinary background.
October 27th, 2009 at 9:32 am
I am still attending community college, studying journalism. I have not even earned my B.S. yet and I have plans to attend grad school at Berkeley’s J-school. With the job market being so competetive, I think that an MJ can give me a leg up on the comptetition. A bachelor’s degree simply isn’t enough anymore. Grad school will give me a chance to specialize and network with even more professionals. Berkeley is much cheaper than private schools and is much better. So I can get a high quality education without having to burn holes in my pockets.
October 27th, 2009 at 9:35 am
I went to grad school for English literature, which is even more useless than going to grad school for journalism (unless you want to teach or your undergrad degree isn’t in JRN). If I could do it again, I’d definitely choose something that would make me a more specialized writer. Now I’m forced to try to get that type of experience through the nonprofit organizations with which I’m affiliated. It takes longer but it’s still rewarding.
October 27th, 2009 at 9:49 am
It’s worth noting that there are two types of journalism graduate programs: professional and academic.
The professional programs tend to focus on having you do a sort of capstone project, more in-depth journalism. These are the kinds of stories that look great in your portfolio. These kinds of stories could be done in the real world, too, if news outlets were willing to shell out resources to the tune of grad school tuition to fund the reporting.
Academic programs focus on research about journalism — studying what journalists do and how they do it. Sometimes they are called media studies degrees (that’s what mine is). Topics include history of the craft, diversity in newsrooms, hunting for bias in coverage, ethics, the public’s trust for reporters, etc.
October 27th, 2009 at 11:44 am
I actually went to Columbia grad school for journalism and took the advice of one of my professors and went West young woman. I have been in southern california for about 25 years, with brief stints in Las Vegas and West Nyack, N.Y. and have been a working journalist for most of those years..learning in New York, my home town, great. Leaving NYC for parts unknown and cutting your teeth elsewhere? priceless.
October 27th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
On Renee’s point about professional vs. academic: That’s certainly true, though I venture to guess most SPJ members, and young “Gen-Jers,” considering grad school are seeking the more skill-building professional side. (Not that there’s anything wrong with academic research, which is what I would actually choose.) I’m curious to hear from anyone who attended grad school seeking one (pro or academic) but feel they received too much of the other.
October 29th, 2009 at 7:46 am
if you are consider grad school, I would suggest taking a look at http://www.gradshare.com. There are lots of discussions there about grad school, and it may give you another perspective to help in the decision process.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
I am not planning to go to graduate school. It’s not personally about money. It’s because I will not be treated well by anyone anyways if I had a shiny M.A. or Ph.D in a humanities field. Graduate school is overrated by nature. Speaking of which, I think I have become dumber after years of undergrad in a humanities program.
November 13th, 2009 at 7:51 am
First of all, I am not endorsing grad school for everyone. This is just my experience.
I majored in Communications and English (Medieval lit…a special kind of useless), but I pursued internships ravenously. By the time I graduated I was as prepared as any English nerd could be, but I only got three interviews for an entire year. I lived with my parents and worked at Red Lobster. Yeah, it was thrilling. One day I will write a book about it.
I decided to go to graduate school because I felt like I had to do everything I could to get a job in journalism. I disagree with Adam on this one. My master’s program made a massive difference in the skills I brought to the table. I became a multimedia maven, editing dynamo, and much more aware of the field at large. It also changed the way employers looked at me. I was interviewed for jobs that I didnt’ have enough experience for because my master’s work made a difference.
J-school taught me many skills and concepts I hadn’t know previously, but it also gave me the personal confidence of knowing that I had now done everything in my power to become employable. That was the most valuable reward, and I am convinvced that set me apart from the field.