To ask if anyone can advise my DS on the best ways into journalism/how to become a journalist?

[Soulshinesbright]

He’s 18 and looking to get into Journalism/become a journalist but he’s just not sure how to and what is best to do at university to help with this? What’s the best routes into journalism? Is anyone here a journalist and would be willing to answer some questions he has? Thank you to everyone in advance

Same here. Journalist friends now working none too happily in PR, marketing etc to support their families.

It's not as it's romanticized to be.

Nowadays any semi-literate with a smartphone calls themselves a journalist.

This - for all the talk on this thread about needing to be an excellent writer with critical thinking skills, some of this advice seems a bit out of date (and I say that as someone out of date myself!), in regional media at least, standards are absolutely woeful these days (except for sports writers who need a bit more about them). It really is all about the clicks and getting things out at breakneck speed.

Do the nationals still do trainee courses these days? Incredibly competitive but a brilliant way in for the lucky ones.

Echo the above - really good degree in non-journalism / broadcast subject (arts, humanities, science) from top university - Oxbridge, London etc - then a masters from City (or equally prestigious post grad - there are some niche ones for science communication, for example). All the time writing for the best publications you can - uni newspaper, local paper etc. - to build up a body of work you can use as a portfolio.

The best journalists are highly paid and influential, but they are few and far between. That said, there are lots of related industries that can offer interesting and fulfilling careers. Lots of journalists end up in PR or as comms people in big companies for example.

If it’s the travel he likes, TV can be a good one to try - although equally competitive.

But the 3 post grads l mentioned have excellent connections.

Cardiff
Sheffield
UCL

I know a 19yo who wants to be a journalist and she's currently studying a degree but also spends a lot of time writing on her blogs so that she can practice writing as well as improve her digital skills. She has multiple blogs because they cover different interests so are written in different styles.

Get interested in the world.
Learn how to do your own research.
Do a 'good' degree in a subject that you love that brings something to the table - see the arts journalist above who did history of art, politics is a good one, science/tech subjects aren't thought of as 'traditional' routes into journalism but give you a viewpoint and a niche. Someone who can write credibly with authority about AI, for example, is going to find work.

Be prepared to work for little money and fill the holidays with relevant experience. For example, if you want to write about arts you need to be in Edinburgh working for very little money covering the festivals in August because that's how you meet people and get great clips.

Then think about a further qualification, if only because it's a way to make connections.

Think broadly - if you want to work in travel then actually print probably isn't the way to go. So is it travel or writing? What about lifestyle stuff? I know someone who did a very niche post grad and is now travelling Scotland writing about tourism stuff. It's all freelance so it's a slog, but she's having the time of her life.

Ex-journalist here wanting to offer a bit of advice I’ve not seen on the thread yet: he needs to read as well as write. He needs to be able to talk about publications and writers that interest him. I remember I’d meet a lot of wannabe journalists who were not interested in reading others’ work and learning from them and it was an issue (eg in interviews)

I am not a journalist but as a student I wrote for the Uni newspaper (mainly arts but also really interesting things like interviewing the VC). I then did two sets of work experience - one in the UK in the local newspaper, and one while I was volunteering overseas after Uni on the national newspaper there. I had a place to go and do a postgrad journalism course. I realised while doing the work experience that I wasn't interested enough in news - I had wanted to move into science or arts journalism - but I could see that the daily grind of local politics etc. would bore me to tears.
There weren't any blogs etc. then (I am ancient) though I did write the odd letter to the papers/New Scientist.
(The end of this story is that I went on to do a PhD and do a lot of technical writing for my job and that volume of writing means I don't really do that much non-work, fun writing any more except on Mumsnet!)

One of my best journalism teachers (Goldsmiths College) used to say "the writing's just the bit you do at the end".

Your son really does need to do his own research and it's a not a good sign that you're doing it for him. Many journalists have to come up with their own ideas or at least research the story they've been told to write about-whether that's a company that's just won an award, a celebrity or someone whispering to horses.
He will also have to write quickly and not be precious when some one tells him to cut it in half. It is very competitive, despite the pay not being great.

About what to study at university - I don't think it matters really. I did English literature, like many journalists, and it helped in the sense that it taught me to extract information very quickly from large amounts of text, but so would most degrees. I think if you have an "extra" bit of knowledge as a journalist - science, maths, history, politics - that can only be a good thing. I did a three month postgrad journalism course. I also was involved in the university newspaper, did work experience on the local paper and wrote music reviews for magazines while at uni.

Potential journalists often don't consider trade journalism - the kinds of magazines that are mocked on Have I Got News For you - but they can be good training grounds, you get a lot of responsibility very quickly and often a lot of travel. There are trade travel magazines/ outlets, focusing on business travel, conferences etc. I used to sit next to one, and the reporters were always jetting off to stay in lovely hotels and write about them.

PPs are correct about the salary though. I am still a journalist because I like it, but earn about a fourth of the salary of most of my university friends.

I honestly hugely regret going into journalism, partly because it meant years of terrible pay. I think you’d be hard pushed to find anyone who’d recommend it as a career these days.

I would encourage him to do a blog, a vlog or anything else that will get him out there and will show any potential recruiter that he’s already doing stuff. Also contact Press Association as they do a training course and are pretty much the gold standard. And work experience is always good

That is a good point — and the trade magazines also pay very well, or at least they did in my day! Some of them are subscription-only so they have a guaranteed revenue unlike the newsstand mags.