Journalism school...is it worth it?

I got a degree in communication, and I've done pretty good. The college I went to doesn't have an actual J-School, but its school paper is way better than any other college in the state because it's set in a metropolitan area that attracts a slew of different shit to cover, outside of your normal D-I stuff that is.

So there are schools in that state that do have J-Schools, but the non-J that I went to always kills when it comes time for awards. So, I guess in this case, no.

 

Fom my viewpoint, college is not just about hitting the books, but making contacts that will land jobs. It's not what you know, it's who you know.

Some of the basic classes taught me about leads, nut graphs, concise writing, interview techniques. Other than that, it was Quark, photography and ethics/law.

 

I will tell you that if you can write, you can write (and that's kinda what my former j-school prof told me). He will say that pure writers are just born with the ability.

And I will reply, writing is just the base.

Anything after that (research skills, FOIA, etics, etc. ) is just somthing you'll have to pick up along the way in order to succeed. In this biz, attention to very, VERY minute detail has copped me many a scoop that Big Bad Daily has whiffed on.

 

Pevere's column could double as a piece on modern poetry, which is largely inpenetrable because it's been hijacked by higher education.

His point about film schools....eh, don't really agree. A lot of serious talent ran through film school. And the TV renaissance we're experience with the 20 or so excellent shows on these days. A lot of those people are film schoolers.