A place in the future

I am not the only person that worries about the future. It’s natural to be concerned about unforeseen circumstances, especially so with the current state of this country’s economy.

But with college graduation looming a year away, and my chosen field, journalism, floundering more than most others, concern is becoming fear.

I chose journalism because I feel passionate about the career. I wanted to contribute to the world in a way in which I could apply my writing skills and feel successful, while also enjoying what I do. It was like an epiphany when I decided on journalism, and I returned to college specifically to study that field. I could see my future, so bright, so fulfilling, all spread out before me.

I have always been one to appreciate the unpredictability of life, but after all the things I have been through to finally know where my place in this world might be, just to have that place become nonexistent, I now feel like fate has given me a swift kick in the stomach.

Fortunately, I am not one to give up. I think if you are passionate enough, want something enough, then obstacles are just puzzles that must be solved to get to the prize – if a shaky, stressful, low-paying job can be considered a prize. For me it can.

Determination is half the battle; the other half is knowledge and skill. No matter how much knowledge and skill you have, nothing will happen if you don’t have the determination to see it through. On the other hand, all the determination in the world won’t buy you success if you can’t perform the job requirements.

It is a matter of putting your pen to the paper (or your fingers to the keyboard.) Veteran journalists talk about the old days, when a journalist went out and hunted down a story and everything was on him; I think it is back to those days. With new media and the Internet becoming the heart of journalism, and job positions dropping like flies, it is now the responsibility of the journalist to be able to do everything needed to post an article. He has to be the researcher, reporter, writer, editor, photographer, camera man and Web master.

While this means the loss of jobs, and more work and responsibility for the journalists, I think it could be a good chance for journalism. The journalist is given more opportunity to present the full vision of his article. Because of the job market and the tight competition only the best journalists are going to have these kinds of positions. I believe that could mean more responsible journalism. Everyone is doing what they have to, to put the highest quality news and information out there.

For me, that says I still have a chance in this field. With determination, skill and as much knowledge as I can acquire, I believe my high standards for journalism will be appreciated in today’s job market. Now I just have to keep working on my morale.