advice
Advice from April - Junior
1. Persistence is crucial when it comes to getting ahead in the world of college journalism. Usually, you have dozens of students fighting for the same reporting position or the same internship. Just because you didn't get to be the opinion columnist for the fall semester doesn't mean you should give up. If you are enthusiastic and keep trying, editors will surely remember your face and eventually your name.
2. Always strive to be better at what you do. Increase your journalism skills. Kind of shabby at AP Style? You better study that book when you have time during the weekends. Need help with ledes and nut grafs? Read articles online and come up with your own. There is always room for improvement.
3. Start a Web site. It is always impressive to employers if you have your clips and resume organized online.
4. Be professional on the Internet. Take down those crazy Saturday party pictures you have posted on Facebook.
5. Start early. Even if you're a freshman, start looking for a reporter position. Start taking your journalism classes as soon as you can. It is always impressive to professors as well as employers if they see that you are ahead of the game.
6. Come to SPJ meetings! We have great resources, and you can learn a lot from the speakers.
7. Don't be afraid to go to your professor's office hours if you have a question in a class. They are there to help you and are most likely more than willing to do so.
Advice from Ashley - Freshman
1. It's all about networking. Get to know your professors, classmates, people you interview. The more people you know the better!
2. It's all about clips. Gather as many as you can and when at an interview, show articles on various different topics. Newspapers love well-rounded reporters.
3. Stay informed about what is going on in the world - it can be hard to report when you don't know what is going on.
4. Do everything. Join SPJ and other organizations, write and intern for newspapers, get involved. An experienced journalists is more likely to get a job.
Advice from Jen - Senior
1. Let your ethics guide you in making decisions. Don't let other people influence you to make decisions you are not comfortable making.
2. Take care of yourself. In traumatic situations, your newspaper or broadcasting organization is most likely not going to take care of you.
3. There is nothing wrong with taking a break. Journalism is a high burnout profession, so if you don't take breaks once in awhile you are very likely to burnout.
Advice from Lydia - Junior
1. Don't be hesitant to take advantage of all the outside help the college offers. The Knight Center has people who will look over your stories before you turn them in for grammar, AP style, content, etc. Your TA is always a good resource too. Get as many people as possible to read over your stories before you turn them in.
2. Take advantage of the internship fair the college offers. It's specific to journalism majors and brings in newspapers and magazine editors from all over Florida. A lot of editors come to the internship fair specifically to find summer interns, so go dress professionally, with good clips and make a good impression.
3. Take advantage of the outside concentration requirement for journalism majors. Pick a concentration that will help you specialize in an area you're interested in. If you eventually want to write for the business section of a newspaper or a business magazine, get a concentration in business. If you're interested in political or international journalism, get your concentration in political science. It will help you be more marketable when you apply for your desired job out of college.
To post messages for the rest of the organization - such as tips for fellow journalism students, questions about classes or getting published, etc. - e-mail the message to the webmaster, Jennifer Keil, at jenkeil@ufl.edu.
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