The career opportunities for those studying journalism seem endless. It’s a field with plenty of room to grow, offering countless entry-level positions that can easily transition into higher-level and management positions with experience and, in some cases, additional learning.
At newspapers, for example, it’s quite common to find publishers who got their start covering school board meetings. Large public relations firms likewise are filled with stories of those who worked their way into upper management—yet the industry also boasts many smaller firms started by ambitious PR practitioners who wanted to be their own bosses.
If you’re an advertising major, you will find a wealth of opportunities awaiting you upon graduation. You may choose a creative position, as a copywriter or art director, for example. You might explore media planning or media buying or become an advertising representative or work your way into an advertising manager position.
If you’re studying in one of the journalism sequences, you can look forward to a full career ladder to climb. Magazine reporter positions are plentiful and regularly give way to editor posts. Sportswriters may have the good fortune to become sports columnists or sports editors. Newspaper beat reporters often move into page editor or copy editor positions, and many aspire to such roles as managing editor or editor in chief.
In public relations, the sky can be the limit when it comes to career growth potential. In the corporate world, for example, an entry-level PR position can blossom into a departmental manager slot, and many vice presidents of corporate communications worked their way up from entry-level PR roles.
Journalism teaching careers can be particularly rewarding. Many of our graduates are thrilled by the opportunity to guide eager, young writers and future editors toward potential journalism careers. Some eventually find their way back to a college campus to teach at that level.