My Place In “The New Media Ecosystem”
Assuming that I’m going to be a journalist when I graduate (and that I’m going to write about video-games, dammit!), the first place I’m going to look for a job is online. Print journalism is looking like a train wreck right now and that’s not somewhere I want to put myself. When the layoffs start coming, it’s either the new hires that are the first to go, or they look to give severe pay-cuts to the new people.
Online is appealing for a number of reasons, most notably because I can work from home. While I’d like to think I’ll be moving out of my parent’s house by the time I graduate (fingers crossed), it may not be financially feasible. Having the ability to work from home will give me time to save money for my own place, but it will also give me more time to do more work. Since I won’t need to get on a train or drive my car to an office somewhere, I can not only cut down on the costs of those things, but as soon as I roll out of bed I can get right to work. This obviously cuts down on a lot of expenses ranging from gas money to having to shell out a ton of cash to eat out. Also, being able to do my work from my laptop means I can go where the story takes me without worry about having to get back to the office to submit things.
Working from home also gives me the ability to freelance for a number of different sites. After all, I don’t think my boss would like it if I was sitting in my cubicle on his dime writing stories for somebody else. Writing for more sites certainly equals more work, but more importantly it equals more money. Freelancing for a number of sites is also a great way to get your name out there and is a fantastic networking opportunity, as it could eventually land you a higher and more well-paying position.
Re-reading this, I’m noticing about how bleak the future is journalists. There are a lot of great writers and reporters out there, and the outlets that are hiring (with livable wages) are diminishing. With the state of things today, I have a feeling that it’s going to be really tough to get some decent work. I think I’ll have to be living from paycheck to paycheck for a while, but once journalism breaks in it’s new shoes things should start to smooth themselves out. I hope. *Gulp*
