December 7, 2012
I wrote this piece for Quill, the magazine of the Society of Professional Journalists. The editor, knowing I had had a rather eclectic background, asked if I'd like to consider the pros and cons of journalism school. I still don't know the answer to the question of whether you should bother to go or not. J-school is hugely expensive, in the US at least, but so many students flock there every year regardless. It's the American way to keep getting more and more layers of formal education. Employers tend to expect it. I tell a little of my own story in the piece and I also speak to two people who have taken different paths to get where they want to be in journalism. One is studying at Columbia Journalism School, the other has taken the 'school of life' approach, or rather the 'reporting from the streets of New York' approach. There's also a sidebar on podcasting tips. I swifly destroy any ideas you might have about the glamour of radio/podcast production.
