I have always been pretty reluctant to accept the fact that one day I will be out of a school / learning environment, and instead be working and acting like an adult. Even in year 12 I handed my course preferences in at the verrrrry last minute because I just couldn’t picture myself in any particular career. I settled on professional communication because its broadness appealed to my indecisive nature and the careers lady seemed to think I would enjoy journalism (thanks lady).
From day one last year I remember being told by many-a-guest-speaker that our job prospects in the media industry were ever-evolving, and that the careers we were being skilled for may not have been invented yet. This definitley concerned me, especially as most of my friends were enrolled in courses that had a definite outcome. Nursing, teaching etc.
Even in lectures for this very course, we are being told of the uncertain and competitive nature of journalism and media. Again, a little concerning.
I remembered reading a blog post early last year “Blog is a Dirty Word” written by Leandra Medine on manrepeller.com (again I highly recommend). In her post, Leandra addressed the negative connotations associated with blogging.
What particularly interested me however, was not her reaction to a scathing article calling bloggers ‘black sheep’, but instead her undeniable enthusiasm for blogging as a platform and the evolving future for media professionals (such as us). Often the uncertain future of the media industry is a scary topic but as Medine put it “the consequences of living in 2013 are vastly different than they were in the 80s or 90s and even early aughts because of the hyper-speed at which we consume information“.
The growing popularity of blogging demonstrates the exciting potential for careers in the media and journalism industry. The huge amount of interest in this course alone indicates again, as Medine said “the hunger and supply for editorship hasn’t dwindled in spite of more unfortunate circumstances for the demand“.
Blogging although a very recent ‘profession’ serves as an example that the digitisation of media, despite evidently lessening the popularity of traditional media, is constantly growing and creating new job opportunities.
Finally I understand what those (overly passionate) guest speakers were saying.
– Caitlin
*Image sourced from manrepeller.com*
