NLGJA Student Central > Food For Thought

By Bob Witeck

Most budding journalists find that once the initial cycle of professional education is complete, the first thought that crosses the mind is, “Where will I find my first job?” Just getting a foot in the door seems a heady enough ambition for many qualified graduates, let alone creating a career map.

A career map, however, is a smart way to think about the “what ifs” when doors are shut or a position implodes, or “imagine thats” when you create better opportunities and open new doors.

As major news organizations continue to make sizeable buyouts, transform how newsrooms work and continue their shift from print to electronic and new media platforms, the very definition of journalism seems to be undergoing radical and not always painless surgery.

Here are four keys that may help focus a career and provide some mileposts in how you map and think about your own future:

Think Skills

No college graduate today imagines a lifetime career with fewer than five, perhaps 10, possible employers along the way. Many change jobs to advance and seek higher responsibilities and rewards, but the common denominator for many others is the breadth and growth of skills.

Rather than simply acquiring grander titles or hierarchical positions, the most valued professionals often are ones who learn new techniques, understand new platforms, write for more purposes, delve into editing and graphics as well as writing and proofing, and who are fearless about trying something different. It's great to love what you do best, but also to investigate and try things that daunt you or paralyze you with the unknown.

Think Issues

While acquiring new skills and updating old ones, successful professionals also recognize that subject matter mastery can make a real difference too.

Sure, generalists seem to always perform the nuts and bolts in many news arenas, but given the growth and complexity of some very broad fields — education, technology, health, energy and environment, politics and criminal law — the savvy journalist and communicator keeps ahead of the curve by learning, reading and writing more about trends today and tomorrow that matter to other readers and doers.

Think Contacts

Right. It's not just what you know, but whom you know, and not simply just to open doors. Personal and professional contacts are the ideal way to share ideas, relationships, insights and yes, even job opportunities that you could barely imagine. In his book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell points out that most people find new jobs and positions through acquaintances and not directly through family or friends. The universe of possibilities that occurs by happy accidents, or simply knowing and staying connected with others, helps you gravitate in remarkable, meaningful directions you could never predict.

Think Solo

Why do it their way when you can try it yours? Journalists, writers and communicators understand today that more than ever before, you can be your own boss and your own brand. Whether or not you are well rewarded and enthusiastic working among the suits, confident and skilled journalists also know they can land on their feet as freelancers, bloggers, PR practitioners, researchers, speechwriters, media trainers, lecturers and authors. Or some combination, perhaps.

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2007 issue of NLGJA Outlook. Bob Witeck is CEO of Witeck-Combs Communications. He is a former board member of NLGJA and a lifetime member.