Find out why a journalism degree graduate may look into a career in public relations by looking into the similarities of the two different fields.
People usually assume that the natural course for a Journalism degree holder is to be a journalist. However, the possible careers are not as limited as you’d think because journalism graduates can embark into the private sector as well. A few potential and favorite options are corporate communications professionals or public relations professionals.
Journalists are said to be better at public relations than those who studied public relations. Although the two fields seem to be complete opposites, the opportunity of journalists to get into PR was stumbled upon by the downsizing of the print and broadcast industry due to the prevalence of the Internet. Journalists are then finding ways to get into public relations.
Journalists, in general, have a nose for news. You may call it intuition, sixth sense or spidery senses but you can’t deny that it’s there. This is what makes them good investigative journalists and will coincidentally also make them good public relations professionals.
Journalists have excellent writing skills which can carry on to drafting great press releases. Journalism students, even those who signed up with an journalism degrees online, undergo rigorous training in writing, editing and copy editing. Moreover, journalists are also trained to be able to compose accurate, clear and concise articles that are also useful in the field of public relations.
Journalism graduates also provide excellent results with fewer typo and grammatical errors. They are also more eloquent in verbal communication as well as written communication. They are also less dependent on email marketing compared to most public relations professionals.
Furthermore, who better to understand the inner workings of a media practitioner’s mind than a former journalist? You’d be able to tell when the best time to throw a pitch will be and when to hold back. This would also allow you to understand the market better.
Likewise, a former journalist would also know how to follow a media practitioner and get him to call back. You’d be able to land a pitch for the editor, plus your interviewing skills will definitely come in handy. Your professional network will also be of good use when you strive to get as much media attention as possible.
A Journalism degree is definitely not as useless as people make it to be. A journalist’s career opportunities may seem quite limited, especially with printed broadsheets being rendered nearly obsolete by the Internet. However, this does not mean that journalism has no place in the future.
People may continue to say that journalism is useless and irrelevant. People may even continue to discourage you from taking up a Journalism degree. However, if journalism is your passion, your success in the field is already half fulfilled.
Journalism students would be excited to know that they can look into a lot of other opportunities aside from being a journalist. The need for journalists might decrease but the knowledge and skills you learned during the course of your Journalism degree will be helpful in many other fields. You just need to look in the right places.
Saturday, March 24th, 2012, 7:01 am | 
Journalism | 
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