November 1, 2017 by Stephanie Farid

On Wednesday, Oct. 25, four young professionals spoke on a panel in a class at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg about what life is like in the journalism work field.

They each gave insightful tips about what to do before and after graduation, in order to ensure a successful career. These are some of the highlights and tips from their talk:

• If you want it get it.  It was strongly emphasised that the best way to achieve a goal, is to take any opportunity and and own it. Be persistent. Be confident. Work hard.

• Be vocal.  One speaker mentioned a story about when she was in college and got assigned a job during an internship she didn’t want. She voiced her concern about not being in the correct department, and the person she was talking to walked her over to the office of the organizer of what she did want to do, and she talked her way into a comfortable position for the internship.

• Journalism is mighty important.  It was agreed on by the whole panel that journalism skills are a fine thing to learn. The majority of them work in marketing, yet daily use journalism in their jobs. They all recognise the fact that their journalism degrees are what make them so good at their respective jobs.

• Internships are a cool thing to have. Another fact that they all agreed on was that internships are hugely impactful. Not only do they provide the opportunity to learn and supply credit for class, but they give insights that are not available anywhere else. They might help some people discover their likes/dislikes in a future career.

• If you do what you love, advancement comes naturally. Many times the entry level position people get are not permanent. The ladies from the panel all had goals for their future that were big dreams. However at the rate they were going with advancement, they don’t seem that far off. They spoke about advancement in their current jobs, and they are all due to the love of their work.