How Long Does It Take To Become A Journalist?
Every journalist has traversed a different path before they were able to practice their profession. A strong foundation of education will likely be an advantage for you to land a job as a journalist. But how long does it take to become a journalist?
Like any profession, the time you will have given in order to be the professional you wanted to be would depend on some factors. But in general, a typical journalist spent 4 years before being able to practice their profession. Some may have taken longer; others may have it shorter. Well, let’s take a look at these factors.
1. Education
- Most journalism jobs requires applicants to have completed a bachelor’s degree in journalism or any related field such as mass communication, English or media studies. Typically, these courses will allow you to finish in 4 years.
- A bachelor’s degree is designed specifically to be finished within 4 years, but in some cases, a 3-year full-time study can complete the necessary credit hours needed for the program. You can do this by taking a high credit load in every semester and attending summer classes to shorten the time you will be spending in school.
- For those who wanted to take their education as part-time, the time you spend in college may be doubled.
- Because of vast competition, some journalists pursue a higher degree in journalism, which adds to the time taken. These may take you another 2 years to finish.
2. Experience
- While in school, you may start gathering relevant experience especially on the last 2 years in college. You can start working for your school newspaper or college television or radio programs.
- After gaining a Bachelor’s degree you may not immediately find yourself working as a paid professional. You may be starting at internships that are usually paid less, and in most cases not paid at all. Most employers may need you to have at least 1-2 years experience for you to land that first paid job.
Now, these factors may slightly vary from one to another, but technically all of them are relevant for you to land a job in wither a small or large journalism companies. Employers mostly hire those who have intended a lot of years in school taking up courses and advanced degrees necessary for them to have an edge in the industry.
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