I'm 13 and im dying to be a Journalist what should i do?

Question

I'm 13 and im dying to be a Journalist what should i do?

Answer 1

At the risk of sounding like a s****. journalist (!) I'd just like to clarify some of the responses on here. For starters, most people don't choose to be a 'fashion', 'music' etc journalist - most start on weekly papers or small magazines and work their way up before specialising. It's a competitive industry and most people have to do the basics before moving into a specialist role.

The first step is to contact your local paper for a work placement  - perhaps over summer holidays, although at 13 they may be reluctant. If they are then suggest to them that you write a story from a 13-year-old's perspective, for example what there is and isn't to do in town for kids of your age, and see if they will publish it.

Does your school have a newspaper you could write for? If not, then start one! Ask your English teachers for help and get the IT teachers involved for laying out and designing the pages. It doesn't have to be hardcore news - could just be about what is going on in the school, from kids who have won awards or have unusual hobbies outside school, to what your favourite music is and revision tips.

It's also important to remember that for every 10 qualified journalists in the UK there is only one job - which means competition is fierce and academic qualifications have become a must. All journlists now are expected to have done a degree and, possibly, a professional qualification too (see http://www.nctj.com/ - this is standard industry examination body).

Good on you for wanting to be a journalist, but don't forget, it isn't as glamorous as people think. The day-to-day job can involve everything from covering court and council stories to golden weddings and - if you get lucky! - murders and celeb interviews. I've interviewed everyone from Tony Blair to Robbie Williams and have written for everyone from News of the World to The Telegraph and Cosmopolitan, but I've also had my fair share of working 14 hour days and standing on doorsteps in the rain trying to persuade people to give me their story.

And, finally, the one thing that people don't seem to realise about journalism is that it is the lowest paid profession (yes, lower than teachers and nurses!). Starting salaries are often minimum wage (after doing your degree and postgraduate qualifications) and don't rise much higher than £20,000 a year, even after 20 years in the job.

Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but it isn't all it's cracked up to be. Get some experience and see if you like it before you pin all your hopes on it (and give me a call when you graduate - I'll see if I have any jobs available!)

Answer 2

I agree with Faith: READ, READ & READ

Get a subscription to New York Times and/or Washington Post

Take as many writing classes as you can

Answer 3

my cousin is Journalist and he is not happy .. l mean maybe you dream for this but its not like you think ( white big cake ) lol.. he doesnt have any time for himself ... he doesnt have time to get gf ... or spending time with her or having time for his parents.. wowo.. he has to write and investigate anything anything .. so its not that easy my friend.. suggestion?? ok..

just wait to grow up first...

Answer 4

apply for work experience, most magazines and newspapers have waiting lists that are years old, the more work experience you have, the easier it will be to get a job when you've graduated from uni.

You may think 13 is young, but its a good time to start work experience. There are more publications then you are aware of, and if you can get it, try work experience in different places- not just all magazines, not just the same tyupes of newspapers. And try to get in with more then tea makeing and coureering, which is fine, as long as your learning something, if your not learning anything, leave, your time is precious, your energy is best spent on training and discovering, and I doubt makeing the perfect tea will aid you in writing articles (unless your aiming to write about beverages?!)

Also, see if you can take part in your local paper- they will often have column space and will let you write an article or two.

Also, the creame of the crop- start up your own school newspaper or news sheet- dont worry if this is not possible, its a hard thing to do, but if sucessful, it would stand out head and shoulders above the rest.

Answer 5

It would not surprise me if you changed your mind before you are twentyone. We all had dreams at that age but obstacles in life crop up to change your mind.

Answer 6

Talk to your local papers. I am 17 and I write for a community paper in my area. Most will be able to help you out in some way.

Answer 7

Read, read & read!

Good editorials & good journalism.

Steer clear of trashy tabloids at all costs.

And of course, study hard!

All the best to you!

Answer 8

First of all don't die.

Answer 9

I'm 15 and also interested in becoming a journalist.

I did some research for a careers project at school, here's some things I found out:

1) Decide what type of journalism you want to go into. Journalism has many different sub-sections, like:

i) Fashion journalism

ii) Music journalism

iii) Newspaper journalism

iv) Magazine journalism

v) Photo journalism

2) Get some experience. Ask your school if you can write for the school newspaper or newsletter.

3) Read articles from newspapers to get an idea of your own writing style. Practice by taking a news story and writing about it yourself.

4) When you go for work experience, find somewhere journalism related. I found it hard to get a placement at a newspaper because you have to be over 18, so try a magazine or even a publishers.

5) Start thinking about what qualififcations you will need. Languages are useful because this would allow you to travel places and take on foreign stories. History is also useful and I.T skills are essential.

6) You need to have good grammar skills and writing style, so read and practice.