Internships: On location at The University of Texas at Austin
BiB Contributor | George Howell
I really enjoyed meeting with the students of the Broadcast Journalism Sequence at The University of Texas at Austin. A lot of things have definitely changed since the time I studied in the studios of my alma mater – a new set, new cameras, and teleprompters to name a few! Times are also very different for these students when it comes to finding jobs. As broadcast companies impose hiring freezes, layoffs, and salary cuts in order to navigate the troubled economy, it makes the competition for jobs that are available all the more fierce.
The students I spoke with had very legitimate concerns about what’s next, after graduation. Clearly, it’s not a rosy picture right now. Where my biggest worry out of journalism school was about starting pay, these students are asking a much tougher question: “can I even get a job, or should I just do something else?”
I am of the philosophy that you must find a way to do what you love, regardless of the obstacles you may face. If broadcast journalism is your true passion, then I believe you’ve got to follow through with it so that you can completely satisfy your interest in news. You don’t want to be that person who, ten years from now, wonders “what if.” Sure, times are tough, but companies are hiring. In order to succeed in this economy, you’ve got to play smart, be flexible, and remain patient.
It took a whole year and a half for one student I worked with to break into broadcasting. Immediately after graduation, she took a job outside the industry, saved money, and kept sending out resume demos until she got her break. Some people will have the serendipity of finding work much sooner. Others will reach the conclusion that they weren’t really as interested in broadcasting as they might have thought, and there’s no shame in that. Whatever you decide, don’t let the tough economy scare you from at least following through with your true interests. The payoff to being true to yourself is well worth it.
