Does Your Child Want To Become A Journalist?

Finding the career you want is vital for anyone who wants to start planning for their future, including your child. While it might not be the most glamorous of jobs, some children get a passion for current events and for finding out stories that they are clearly natural journalists. If your child is showing that inclination, you can help them along their path to getting their first headline. Here are a few ways to do it.

Keep them informed with the events in the world

Someone who wants to get involved in the news must show that they’re able to keep up with it. Of course, your teen doesn’t have to read every paper and every online newsfeed but making sure that they’re informed with local news, as well as following some national papers (in print or online) like The Associated Press can be important for giving them a better sense of what’s happening in the world around them. Without that, they aren’t going to have the context they might need as a journalist.

Getting involved with the school paper

Of course, if you’re talking about teaching them journalistic and writing skills, then there is no better way than to see if they can join in the school paper. Student-led news agencies like the Park Tudor School Tribune can be an excellent place for young people to learn more about how newspapers actually work in their day-to-day. Plus, they may well be building connections with future colleagues through the writers and the editors that they get to know during their time at the paper.

Encourage a degree other than journalism

While getting a journalism degree can undoubtedly be helpful for those looking for a career in the press, the truth is that a lot of that training can be done on the job, whether it’s with the school paper or by interning at other journalistic bodies. Instead, getting a degree in fields that can help build upon their journalism, such as sociology or the other soft sciences, could be more useful in making them a more rounded journalist. A journalist isn’t someone that just reports the news, they bring context and nuance that others might not be able to, as well, and a degree away from their job can help with that.

No matter if you don’t plan to major in journalism, taking classes related to it such as media studies or communication courses remains important. Also, make sure your chosen college has great resources available for journalism students such as student-run newspapers, radio, or television stations that provide real-world practice while networking opportunities with professionals in the field. Explore all top colleges in the USA with specific journalism programs until you find one that meets all your interests and goals.

Keep working on their writing skills

Ferreting out the news, reporting on it, and adding nuance and context isn’t all that journalist does, they have to write about it, as well. As such, there are websites like Shout Me Loud that can be hugely helpful in developing the writing skills of your child. Of course, a lot of news is delivered on video, but that’s an entirely different skill set that not every journalist is going to have the opportunity to make use of, so build their writing first.

Children, teens, and young adults can change their minds about the career they want on a regular basis, so be sure to be supportive, but not pushy in helping your child towards the career they say they want.