Frequently Asked Questions:
prepping for J-School — and a career

A successful year of study at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism is an important step to launching or elevating your career in journalism, for both Master of Science and Master of Arts students.

View an example of the M.S. Fall Curriculum

How well you prepare before arriving can be crucial not only to your achievement here but in the kind of job you land after graduation. The biggest factor will be your experience and skill level, but your geographic flexibility, the medium and size of market you consider also will be factors. Here are some frequently asked questions to help you get ready for Columbia Journalism School and a career afterward.

1. To heighten the chances of finding a job after graduation, what steps can a prospective student take prior to attending Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism?
   First, you need to read, report and write. Our curriculum is designed to vastly improve your journalism skills and prepare you to work in the news media industry in many different platforms. Students who have done reporting and writing before entering Columbia are likely to leave with more advanced skills. They also will have a writing portfolio that will provide an advantage in applying for post-graduate jobs. You should expect that employers, whether in print companies or in broadcasting, will require previous journalism experience and gauge a candidate’s ability through their work samples.
   
   To begin, think broadly about where you might gain experience, such as getting published in local newspapers, magazines or websites. Don’t shoot just for the big, glamorous companies. Study websites in which you have an interest, watch and listen to a broad range of TV and radio newscasts and develop story ideas that fit those companies. Your writing should be journalistic – meaning, stories that are reported -- and not just a collection of essays and opinion pieces or blogs. Employers put little stock in opinion writing by rookies.
   
   
   • Know as much as possible about the news around you, locally and globally, by absorbing news in all formats. This means studying the industry and how it is changing: it is far more than just newspapers, national newsweekly magazines and network TV news. The successful beginning journalist will be one who is nimble and able to work in nearly all platforms. It’s made up of blogs, webzines, community access broadcasters, 24/7 local cable news systems, alternative weekly newspapers and regional magazines. Today, nearly every newspaper has audio and video components, sometimes sharing material with a local broadcaster. A local newspaper reporter increasingly needs the ability to shoot video from the scene of a breaking story, report the news, edit from the field, transmit that back to the newsroom for uploading ASAP and then follow with the story text to keep up with competitors.
     
     Magazines that once published only month or weekly now break news every day, including through blogs, with staff writers who once were accustomed only to writing long-form narrative pieces. So in your first jobs, this is what is reasonable to expect from this constantly evolving news media industry.
   
   
   • Become proficient in multimedia technology used in building and producing content for and maintaining news websites. Learn to use programs such as Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Macromedia Flash and HTML. Learn to shoot and edit audio and video, whether with a cell phone, a mini-digital video camera or even more expensive higher quality cameras. Become skilled at editing audio and video material using even very basic software like Soundslides or Audacity and try to become proficient with programs that the industry uses, like Avid, FinalCut Pro or ProTools. Employers increasingly desire or require these skills in candidates. And, this applies to journalists in all platforms – print, broadcasting, online.
   
   
2. Once enrolled, does the journalism school assist students with finding jobs during school or after graduation?
   Yes. Our Career Services office has a full-time professional staff with Ernest R. Sotomayor as Assistant Dean, Julie Hartenstein as Associate Director, Gina Boubion as Assistant Director, and Melissa McLaney as our Coordinator. Combined, we have more than 70 years of experience as working journalists in newspaper, broadcasting, magazines and online media.


3. What kinds of services do you provide in helping grads to get jobs?
   Career Services advises students on how to write cover letters and resumes, prepare applications, conduct an interview, plan a job hunt and direct students to companies and media that suit their skill level and interests. We organize workshops and setup roundtables with professionals who visit the school to discuss opportunities at their companies, offer career advice and conduct one-on-one interviews. We maintain daily job and internship listings on our JobNews page, and online guides are constantly updated to provide new information. For students who cannot attend some sessions, we record workshops and archive the audio and video streams online. And, we constantly network extensively with editors and recruiters here and abroad to build contacts, develop internships and find opportunities exclusively for our students.


4. What are the job prospects after graduation, especially with so many cutbacks in the newspaper industry and elsewhere?
   They remain encouraging, but there is never any guarantee of immediate employment. That holds true for grads seeking work in any medium -- print, broadcast, online. Yet, at graduation time in May 2007, slightly more than 62 percent of the 300 graduates had jobs, and the year before, slightly more than half of the 265 grads were employed by commencement. In both years, the biggest single block found jobs in newspapers, which remain the predominant mainstream media employers, followed by television and radio, and then magazines. These jobs ranged from short internships and long-term fellowships to full-time jobs. And, the number of employed graduates increases with each passing month post-graduation.


5. I’ve heard the refrain, “To get a job, leave New York!” So where do grads find jobs, and where are the best prospects?
   Everywhere! U.S. cities ranging from Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Boston and Miami to smaller markets such as Columbus, Ohio, Bend, Ore., Jackson Hole, Wyo., Fort Bend, Ind., Durango, Col., Biloxi, Miss., and internationally from Germany to Japan, Dubai to Thailand, Israel to Argentina and Russia to Turkey. While many students desire major news media markets, numerous opportunities exist in small markets for full-time jobs in all media. Unlike the largest metro newspapers, many small and medium newspapers and alt weeklies are growing in circulation or holding steady, so employment in smaller markets is encouraging. New York City is the nation’s most competitive market, offering many opportunities. But like all the major metro areas, it is crowded and media employers in those markets require not just determination, but demand excellent reporting and writing skills of applicants. Each year, some students land jobs at companies like Slate.com, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, BusinessWeek, Sports Illustrated, The Record in Bergen County, The (Newark) Star-Ledger, NPR, broadcast networks and other companies in the area, but they are not the majority. Again, the small markets have long offered great journalism opportunities across all platforms, and those who do well will find their way to the bigger markets they desire. Some try freelance writing, which is a challenge (more below on that). It might be a long-shot for a new grad to land at a glossy magazine, but it’s a doable long-term goal: Columbia graduates occupy editing and writing posts at most major magazines in New York City and across the country.


6. What kinds of companies hire recent Columbia graduates?
   Students find full-time jobs, long- and short-term internships and fellowships, temporary assignment for special news programs and publications. They found jobs at newspapers big and small, on-air at local TV stations and were hired full-time and for internships as researchers and producers with the national networks and as writers, editors and multimedia producers at online news outlets. (See a list of where our recent grads landed.)
   
   Each spring we hold our one-day Job Opportunity Conference, in which employers spend an entire Saturday at the school interviewing our students. Our 2008 job in March was the biggest in the school's history, with 112 companies sending more than 150 recruiters. Immediately after, students began getting calls for additional interviews, and within days, some had job offers. (See a list of companies that recruited.)


7. How long does it take, typically, for new graduates to find a job?
   Some with previous experience line up jobs months before graduation, and many more by commencement. Others find jobs in the weeks following graduation and through the summer, while some, looking for specific positions in narrow geographic areas, may take longer. The more restrictive your criteria, the fewer opportunities will be available and that can extend the search time.


8. I’m in the Master of Arts program, so how would my job search differ from that of a Master of Science student?
   Like every graduate, you will need to demonstrate to employers a high capability to report and write. Our MA students have attained at least a beginning level of competency in reporting and writing, and generally seek to find full-time, permanent jobs that will allow them to focus mostly on working in their specialty area, and that’s the best strategy. Such specialty positions can be difficult to find in some markets, but having the additional expertise and training at Columbia provides at least a running start. Some have pursued book contracts, some were hired at places like Foreign Affairs, Christian Science Monitor, Time, The Jim Lehrer NewsHour, CNN, The Washington Post and Bloomberg News. Some MA grads choose to do just freelancing or fellowships of various durations in the U.S. or abroad while few have taken adjunct teaching positions. Again: flexibility can mean more opportunities. Like the MS students, MAs without extensive experience levels are advised to at least consider internships at quality media companies, especially if the work would involve reporting on their specialty, because many employers consider such positions as tryouts for candidates for full-time positions. Many internships have turned into full-time permanent jobs at summer’s end.


9. I want to pursue magazine writing. What are my employment prospects in that field?
   That remains one of the most challenging areas to break into. But many graduates find their way into these publications over time. Magazines, especially the monthlies, hire very few staff writers. So the best prospects for immediately writing for a magazine is often through freelance work, or at regional magazines (most cities have at least one and some cities have several), or at alternative weekly newspaper. The regionals and alt-weeklies welcome candidates and have launched many journalists seeking to write for magazines in larger markets. These publications perennially are national prize winners in major competitions, so do not discount them. There are thousands of magazines that cover virtually any subject, so graduates have nearly unlimited outlets to pursue. Writers who develop a niche are likely to find a publication with similar interests. Graduates who freelance have told us that specializing helps them find stories and sell them to editors. Freelancing, however, poses challenges. Freelance writers don’t earn a steady paycheck. Beginners can make as little as 25 cents a word. Typical rates for moderately successful freelances range from $1-2 a word. But freelancers don’t receive other employment benefits like health insurance or retirement plans. And some freelancers complain that they are frequently paid late for their work. Others enjoy writing only on topics of their choice, when they want and for only those publications they choose. A seasoned, well-respected journalist who works hard at magazine writing can earn lots later in life. Well-known magazine writers can get paid up to $30,000 per story. Freelancers with magazine contracts can make upwards of $200,000 a year to deliver a set number of stories, and they typically hire agents to negotiate contracts. But this is not a beginner’s strategy.


10. Have any students been hired at the major radio and TV networks after graduation? What options are available to me?
    Every year grads are hired full-time at the major networks, Fox and CNN in various divisions and shows, at places like National Public Radio and Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media. Without substantive previous experience in television news, you can expect to begin in an entry level production position such as desk or news assistant. With previous experience, some grads will be lucky enough to land production associate or researcher positions, but that is rare. Our grads generally do very well in these entry level jobs and rise quickly. Now that there are fewer union restrictions at the networks, graduates can also do much more hands-on production in these positions than in years past. In radio, it is a similar story. If you want to work at NPR in D.C., or the largest affiliates like WNYC in New York, you can expect to begin as a broadcast assistant or do booking and research work. But there are also reporting positions at the networks that are more oriented towards web and print journalism than broadcasting . For example, on the TV network web sites, if you are an experienced print reporter you can break in as a writer/reporter, particularly if you have expertise in covering a beat. Copy editor or assigning desk positions are also frequently available. And there are also terrific post-graduate fellowships exclusively available to our graduates that you can apply for. If you want to be a producer for a local news station and are willing to leave the East and West Coast corridors, you will have lots of opportunities. Show producers are always in demand and this is another route to eventually getting into production or management at the networks.


11. If I’m hired at a major network after graduation, how likely is it I can get a position doing on-air work?
Unless you have already had several years of on-air reporting experience, or a very special expertise and have broken important stories in print or radio, it is highly unlikely, if not impossible, to go straight to the television network. To the best of our knowledge, none of our graduates have ever gone directly from J-school to an on-air position at a network – even in their broadband or digital operations. That is completely unrealistic. Most of our broadcast grads seeking to be on-air reporters go the traditional route, which is to small market local stations (DMA’s ranging from 100 and more realistically 150 and higher) all over the country to get their training and then work their way up to larger stations. The skilled reporters in these markets can sometimes move to larger markets in as little as 15 to 18 months – often with the help of their bosses, who appreciate good work and want them to succeed.

Alternatively, grads try to land their first on-air jobs at smaller cable outlets, including some in the Northeast like at Comcast, Cablevision systems, Time Warner, etc. Others with experience have landed at other venues: one grad in 2006 was immediately hired to anchor daily newscasts on Forbes.com. After 18 months she was then hired to anchor broadcasts at Bloomberg News. The path into radio is similar. If you want to go on air, don’t expect to land a reporting position at NPR, MPR/APM or major affiliate straight from J-school without experience. With the exception of a couple of highly competitive special fellowship opportunities, you will need to pay your dues in production or do lots of freelance reporting to launch your career. However, if you are willing to relocate and go to a smaller market station, you can hit the ground running and be out in the field reporting right out of J-school.


12. How should international students prepare?
    Everything that we recommend above applies to international students, but in particular, your English language skills must be impeccable to succeed in our programs and to land a job with English-language news media company. You must excel at reading, writing and speaking English to be able to handle the course readings, conduct story interviews for your class assignments and to compose your stories – including your master’s project or thesis. As with others, having some exposure to journalism prior to enrolling is helpful, especially with English-language companies.



13. What are the job prospects in the U.S. for the international students?
    It will be challenging and more difficult than for U.S. citizens or permanent residents but if you have good reporting skills and are open to various options you will increase your opportunities. Many companies are reluctant to consider international students. Some employers hire interns who will be candidates for full-time jobs at the end of the summer, but if you are an international student, fewer and fewer employers are willing to take you on permanently because they refuse to sponsor for longterm employment. However, every year some international students land some top positions, at large media companies and at small employers, sometimes because they have specialty backgrounds, language skills, or are willing to move to a market that is not highly sought by others.
    For the recently revised Optional Practical Training (OPT) rules for international students, see our breakdown of the new OPT rules.



14. If I don’t have experience before entering school, how can I develop a writing portfolio during the year so I have something to show during the job search?
    The best way is to freelance using the stories that you will write for some of your classes and other pieces you conceive. And there are plenty of places where you can get those stories published. If you are on an F1 student visa you cannot work for pay, including getting freelance fees for stories published. You also cannot write a story and agree to not be paid if everyone else who works with that company as a freelancer gets paid. However, some companies take freelance pieces and routinely do not pay. Career Services holds workshops in the fall on how to pitch your stories to local publications, and our office provides listings of those companies online.