Sidebar
Search Career Center
Don’t Miss a Thing
Want to stay up to date on opportunities, resources, and advice? Subscribe to weekly notifications!
Publishing, journalism, and writing leverages the written word in the transmission of knowledge through the creation of print, broadcast, and online media content. Subfields include print and broadcast journalism, technical and niche writing, editorial and copywriting, online content development and web writing, and creative writing. While traditional print media are being rapidly digitized, conveying information in writing is still a critical part of our world today.
The publishing world includes corporate and independent publishing houses, literary agencies, magazine publishers, university presses, and online content distributors. Roles range widely, including editing, publicity, sales, and production. Internships abound and can be paid or unpaid.
Those interested in becoming journalists should aim to build a portfolio of work starting in college and get published. Journalism degrees are the standard. Print journalism opportunities range from local alternative weeklies to large circulation newspapers, magazines, trade publications, and wire services. Broadcast journalists can be found at major television broadcast and cable networks, national/state/regional radio networks, and independent syndications.
The most important thing for aspiring writers to do is to build a portfolio and get published. Blogs and websites are a great opportunity to extend your reach and get noticed, as are writing competitions. Technical and niche writing––at corporations or government agencies––is another option and can include a wide variety of interests, such as food, science, technology, environmental, and other fields. For this field, it’s a good idea to major and possibly get a graduate degree in the area of specialization (for example, biology for medical writing). Creative writers should explore how books, plays, poetry, and other genres are authored and distributed; MFA degrees are available to help writer hone their craft.
Walden Siew, editor of Investopia, is a 1995 graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
So you’re thinking about getting a graduate degree in journalism. In that case — if you’ve done your basic reporting — you’re probably getting …
Have you ever thought about the people who keep everything running at a publisher? They’re the ones who speak to retailers so you can buy your new favourite book in Waterstones, who oversee the audio production process, and make sure that ebook …