Should you study journalism after Class 12? A perspective

With career in media standing steady as a lucrative option, a course in journalism comes handy. It helps in developing a base in of print, electronic as well as online media..

While some might believe that the power of pen is something inherent that cannot be taught but has to be developed with practice, yet these journalism courses promise to teach the “craft of journalism” within a few years.

With rampant rise in institutes and universities offering Bachelor’s degree in journalism across the country, its popularity is now an established fact. “I think in today’s competitive world of journalism where skills are important and so is niche reporting with focus on content, a journalism course is more than relevant and significantly useful if you wish to join the field,” said Anubha Yadav, Assistant Professor in Journalism Department, Delhi University.

The three year degree course aims at introducing all kinds of media careers (print, television, online, advertising, public relations) as well as the various schools and thoughts around it in history and in today’s times. Also students get trained in reporting, editing and even technologies. “It is a very challenging enterprise. I think a person who passes out of the course will have more than introductory grounding in media field,” adds Yadav.

After pursuing the course, students are free to choose. While a sizable number end up finding entry-level work in newspapers, television, media portals, advertising agencies, etc; there are others, disillusioned by the course’s cursory stance in all subjects, who decide to pursue a completely different course in postgraduation. “I realised after completing my journalism course that I had not really learnt in depth about any particular subject,” informs Pallabi Roy, currently pursuing her MPhil in Sociology from JNU.

“I could have easily opted for a basic graduation degree and followed it up with postgraduation in journalism. But I wanted to enter the field early as industry experience matters more than higher qualification in media,” says Mrinalini Raman, a student of Journalism at University of Mumbai. Most courses require students to do at least one internship with any media organization. After completion of course in journalism, one can expect jobs in leading newspapers, journals, news agencies, online news sites, advertising firms and a host of other organizations. After completion of course, the entry level salary is around Rs. 12000-Rs.15000. As one gains experience of 3-5 years salary can grow somewhere between Rs. 25000-50000. In fact, the relatively lower salary in media industry as compared to any high-flying corporate career has not managed to deter aspirants.

Source:http://campus.yahoo.com/news/yeducareers360/should-you-study-journalism-after-class-12-perspective-20120110