I’m quite a career-driven person. Since high school, I’ve been trying to figure out ways to get my work published, to work my way into the editorial world, and to push myself closer to the job of my dreams. Sometimes this “research” included watching classic journalism-y rom-coms like “The Devil Wears Prada” or “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” or my favorite, “13 Going on 30.”
OK that wasn’t research so much as me just aspirationally finding good reasons to watch early 2000s rom-coms … but there were a lot of things (especially in college) that I feel like I believed (or others told me) would be super useful in my future editorial career endeavors. Now, as an associate editor in my dream field, I have a new perspective! As you might imagine, as much as I’ve appreciated a lot of advice over the years, there are some things that weren’t nearly as helpful as I thought they’d be in terms of my career ambitions and there are a few things I wish I’d done differently.
Here are some things that aren’t as helpful in terms of your future editorial/media career as you might think. Of course, I am but one individual with a lot of thoughts who works in the editorial world but is hardly qualified to share advice. Again, these are based on my experience!
Making connections with your professors might help your grade and your soul, but it won’t always help your career
I had some professors I really really liked and now and then I would stop by their office hours to chat for an hour or two. I wouldn’t take back those connections at all, but they didn’t necessarily help me make any major career moves. Of course, I know people who have gotten jobs through professor connections … but in the editorial field, I found this to rarely be the case.
Instead: I never made professor connections thinking they’d help me climb a career ladder and I am so glad I had that mindset. Overall, make connections for the sake of doing so and out of genuine interest in a professor and their field … don’t use your professors solely as a potential networking opportunity.
Read More: 11 Resources for Journalism Majors
Join a bunch of clubs if it makes you happy … but don’t rely on them to bulk up your resume
Being in a ton of clubs isn’t useful or particularly impressive unless you do something while you’re in them, like host an event or publish stories or even move up the ranks and hold a special board position. A club should be something you enjoy … your future employer oftentimes won’t care that you were in some special honors sorority or five fancy-sounding clubs but they might be impressed if you were the editor at your paper or you were able to host multiple fundraisers.
Instead: Join clubs you actually want to be in and work your way up to planning events, being an editor, having a board position, and other activities.
Taking journalism-focused classes can help you learn a lot … but listing your courses on LinkedIn doesn’t matter much
OK, I never understood when people trying to break into the editorial industry take the time to catalog and list their “relevant courses” on their resume and LinkedIn. This makes sense for a lot of fields but … when it comes to journalism a lot of the classes are pretty standard. All journalism majors have taken some editing classes so it’s not overly special to list it. In the end, it’s more about what you did in these classes rather than the fact that you actually took them.
Instead: List your classes if you’re feeling it but don’t take classes just because they “sound good.” Take classes based on things you actually enjoy. Whether this helps you in your career or not, it’ll help you in life and it’ll also help you hone in on your passions, which your future careers (or side hustles) should hopefully include.
Read More: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Classes in College
It’s good to have a journalism major … but a huge number of people in the field didn’t major in this at all
Although there are a few select editorial job listings that specify you MUST have a journalism or English major, most of the time it’s not necessary. I would say almost the majority of my co-workers majored in something that wasn’t journalism, like history or political science. Honestly? As a journalism major, I think I’d have been just as fine if I’d majored in English insead … and I oftentimes wonder if I would’ve learned more and had more fun studying that as a major instead of taking a late minor in it!
Instead: Major in journalism if it feels right but don’t be afraid to declare a major rooted in something else. You can also go rogue with your major but declare an English or journalism minor, too.
Read More:College 101: How to Choose A Major
Talk to people with the jobs you want and gain insights and intel … but don’t assume they’re going to be your one-way ticket to a job
Connections aren’t all magic! And it’s not a bad idea to reach out to people who have jobs you want or careers at publications you aspire to work at, but make sure you have the right intentions. If your goal in reaching out and networking is to have this person recommend you for a job or eventually hire you … you might be wasting your time making the call and it could come off as insinceire. I love talking to aspiring writers and editors who want to learn tips for snagging a job and hear about what I do in a day. But I’m not going to recommend someone I don’t know well for a job and this is the case with most people you’ll chat up … they’re not going to put their reputation and judgement on the line for a stranger.
Instead: Reach out to these people genuinely wanting to learn more about what they do, how they got there, and what advice they have for young aspiring writers and editors. It never hurts to reach out, but don’t try to use your connections as a “meal ticket.”
What’s your dream job?
