Career in Journalism: Jobs, Scope, Details, Courses, Salary & More

Last Updated on August 5, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar

Do you want to become a journalist? Do you want to build a rewarding career in journalism sector? If yes, this post will be of help to you. Here, we will have an in-depth analysis of the topic – journalism as a career.

This post has been crafted keeping the needs of budding journalists and journalism aspirants in mind. This post contains all the information that you need to know about this domain and profession.

 

‘How to start a career in journalism in India?’, ‘What’s the scope of journalism in India?’, ‘Is journalism a good career option?’ – these are some of the prominent questions that cultivate confusion in the minds of Indian students!

 

Worry not, this post will help you clear all those doubts! In this post, readers will find the following details – basic details about the domain (journalism), career options available in journalism sector, ways to achieve decent career growth, prominent journalism courses, scope, top recruiters and salary details.

 

In the next section, we will have an in-depth analysis of journalism, the domain. In the next section, you will find answers to these questions – What is journalism all about, basic details about this field and more.

 

Journalism: Basic details

In simple terms, journalism is the production and distribution of reports on events. A journalist is a person who collects, curates and publishes information. Journalistic information is usually published or distributed through journalistic media such as – print media, TV, radio, internet etc.

 

An example to make things simple

Let us consider an example – imaging a cricket match taking place in your city. In simple terms, it is an event. Journalism deals with the creation and distribution of reports on this event.

 

You will be able to see live updates and reports about the match on television. You will also obtain live updates and reports on online web portals and blogs. The very next day, you will find in-depth reports and coverage of the match (event).

 

The above example shows journalism in action! It shows how an event is covered systematically by professionals and how the information is distributed among people!

 

A broad field

Journalism is not just limited to sporting events though! It covers different events spanning topics such as – politics, governance, economics, sports, general events and more.

 

Journalism plays an important role in our day to day lives. It helps us gather crucial information.

 

Technology and journalism

When it comes to journalism, media plays an important role. Technology has a huge impact on this field. Earlier, journalism used to rely heavily on print media. Newspapers, magazines and circulars used to be the main journalistic media available back then!

 

With the arrival of radio and TV, news broadcasting began. This ushered in a new wave of journalism! This is the digital age. Internet and digital technology rules the world now. And journalism has adapted well to the new trends. Online portals, mobile apps, blogs, news websites – new journalistic media have popped up due to internet revolution!

 

Different roles, exciting opportunities

Journalism forms an important part of mass communication. It is a broad field. This field has massive potential. It generates ample amount of job opportunities across the world.

 

Journalism is not just about reading news or reporting events. There’s more to it than what meets the eye! Different job profiles and roles exist within the world of journalism. Some of the prominent job profiles include –

• News reading
• Reporting
• Editing
• Copy writing
• Photography
• Production
• Writing
• Broadcasting

 

Let us take a closer look at the career options this field has to offer. Here it is –

 

Journalism career options

As I mentioned before, journalism forms an important part of mass communication. Ultimately, the aim of journalism is to collect information (on events) and distribute it among the target audience.

 

This domain is quite broad. It accommodates different job posts/profiles. The nature of the work may range from creative work to pure technical job! Let us take a closer look at popular job profiles –

 

1. 1. News reader

      • We are quite familiar with this job post. They usually work at broadcast media firms. TV and radio – this is where news readers primarily work! They present news before the audience through journalistic media such as TV and radio.

   2. Reporter

      • Reporters usually work for TV channels, radio stations, newspapers and magazines. They cover events, visit the site and create in-depth reports. These reports are later sent to the editor for final evaluation.

   3. Editor

      • Editors are hired by TV channels, radio stations, news papers, publicshing houses, online news portals etc. Their primary job is to curate content that’s published or distributed on these channels/media.

   4. Photojournalist

      • Photography plays an important role in journalism. Visual media – stunning visuals, video clips and graphic content – is extensively used by print media, TV and internet media. Photojournalists are adept at dealing with the ‘visual’ part of journalism.

   5. Technical jobs

      • Radio, TV and internet – journalistic media relies heavily on technology. Let us consider the example of TV – this journalistic media relies on broadcast technology, satellites and computer technology for functioning! In other words, journalism sector also offer ample amount of jobs that require technical knowledge and expertise!

 

Let us check out journalism courses now. In the next section, you will find important details about journalism programs in India –

 

Journalism courses

Looking from course format’s point of view, journalism courses can be classified into the following types –

• Bachelor’s Degree courses
• Master’s Degree courses
• PG Diploma courses
• PG Certificate courses
• Doctoral Degree courses

 

Looking from academic level’s point of view, these courses can be classified into the following types –

• UG (undergraduate) courses
• PG (postgraduate) courses
• Doctoral Degree courses

 

Let us check out some of the popular journalism courses available in India –

 

1. BJMC (Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication)

   • Students who have passed 12th standard are eligible to pursue BJMC course. The course is three years long.

2. BA in Journalism

   • Students who have passed 12th standard are eligible to pursue this course. The course is three years long.

3. B.Sc. in Journalism

   • Students who have passed 12th standard are eligible to pursue this course. The course is three years long.

4. BA in Journalism and Mass Communication

   • Students who have passed 12th standard are eligible to pursue this course. The course is three years long.

5. BA in Journalism and Media Studies

   • Students who have passed 12th standard are eligible to pursue this course. The course is three years long.

6. Bachelor of Media Studies

   • Students who have passed 12th standard are eligible to pursue this course. The course is three years long.

7. BBA in Media Management

   • Students who have passed 12th standard are eligible to pursue this course. The course is three years long.

8. MJMC (Master of Journalism and Mass Communication)

   • Candidates who have completed relevant Bachelor’s Degree course are eligible to pursue this course. The course is two years long.

9. MA in Journalism and Mass Communication

   • Candidates who have completed relevant Bachelor’s Degree course are eligible to pursue this course. The course is two years long.

10. PG Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication

    • Candidates who have completed relevant Bachelor’s Degree course are eligible to pursue this course. The course is one to two years long.

 

Scope and salary

Skilled journalism professionals are in huge demand these days. They have access to Government sector jobs, private sector jobs and self-employment opportunities.

 

You may also check – Sports Journalism courses

 

Journalism sector is known to generate ample amount of job opportunities each year. There exists numerous job profiles and roles within this sector! You may also check – Career in Advertising.

 

Here are some of the popular job posts/profiles –

• News reading
• Reporting
• Editing
• Copy writing
• Photography
• Production
• Writing
• Broadcasting

 

Salary depends upon factors such as – your job post/profile, profile of your employer, your academic qualifications, work experience etc. For example, a chief editor usually earns more than a reporter working for that firm. Similarly, a large MNC may have better salary packages when compared to a medium-sized internet media agency! What I’m trying to say is that – salary depends largely on these two factors (job profile and profile of the employer). On an average, a fresher can expect around 20-50K INR per month.