J-school survival tips (from grads who made it)
ShareThisFirst-year can be tough, there's no doubt. So, as j-schoolers across the country step out for Day One of their studies, here at J-Source we decided to put together a survival guide to help address some of the crises that will surely arise as the year progresses.
Recently retired Ryerson professor Don Gibb taught first-year reporting for the last eight years of his twenty on Ryerson's journalism faculty. He helps out with his"Ten Tips for Surviving the First-Year of J-School" as well as some anecdotes to go along with his advice.
Plus, J-Source asked a whole slew of recent graduates for the single most important tip they'd give to students entering first-year. We've put together a selection of the best responses from successful, working graduates of Canadian j-schools.
"Work on your weaknesses. If you’re a good writer, pour your energies into reporting—make that extra phone call to get that telling detail. If you’re a strong reporter but weak writer, read On Writing Well or some Hemingway novels and spend the extra half hour with each piece to make sure everything is in its right place."
--Marco Ursi, Ryerson
After graduating from Ryerson in 2006, where he was editor of the spring issue of the Ryerson Review of Journalism, Marco worked as an intern at the Times-Colonist in Victoria. He is currently editor of Masthead, the publication for Canada's magazine industry.
"Write to get published. The more class work you can sell the better your portfolio looks.... and the more money you have. There are thousands of publications in Canada looking for articles that class assignments are a perfect fit for."
--David Hutton, Carleton
David graduated from Carleton's Master's program in May 2008. He just finished a summer internship at The Globe and Mail in Toronto and is now working at the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. He is the former editor of the J-Source Students' Lounge.
"To be successful in journalism you're going to need talent, ambition and luck. Read all the papers and get a good RSS reader. Make sure you're on top of the news every day. Learn who the department editors are when pitching. Pitch in the morning, not in the afternoon. Don't lose hope if the pitch is rejected, it happens to everyone. Invest in a DSLR camera and video camera, even if you're going to print. Start a blog but don't write about what you had for supper, write topically. Get clippings under your belt when applying for internships. When you're an intern, work long days and never say no - and more importantly, sit with the editor when they are editing your copy. Learn all you can about moving news to the web. Make it impossible for your employer to not hire you. And lastly, remember that being a journalist is the best job in the world - don't let one day get you down."
--David George-Cosh, Ryerson
David is the National Post's technology and telecom reporter. He has also worked at The Globe and Mail, The Windsor Star and The Record of Kitchener-Waterloo. He has a bachelor of applied science in engineering from the University of Waterloo and a journalism degree from Ryerson University.
"Number stories and police stories can be the least fun to write, but the key is accuracy. Listen for all the small details in a police brief and you may pick up on something another reporter doesn't. For number stories don't hesitate to ask for clarification because there are slight differences between terms like "shortfall" and "deficit" and a calculator can be your best friend."
--Erin Fitzgerald, Kings
Erin graduated from University of King's College in 2008 with a journalism degree. She is currently a reporter with the Peterborough Examiner.
"There is one simple way to survive J-School: Get out of class. Professors give you the skills, but their assignments are like exhibition games. The stakes are nominal (trust me, it's not about grades) and there's nothing like the real thing. So, write for the school paper, volunteer at the local TV station and fetch coffee as an intern if it gives you a chance to report. Learning is more fun this way."
--John Mather, Ryerson
After graduating from Ryerson, John worked as a desk editor at The Globe and Mail before returning to campus as editor-in-chief of the The Eyeopener. He is now an editor and reporter at The National, a recently-launched english daily based in the United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi.
Recently retired Ryerson professor Don Gibb taught first-year reporting for the last eight years of his twenty on Ryerson's journalism faculty. He helps out with his"Ten Tips for Surviving the First-Year of J-School" as well as some anecdotes to go along with his advice.
Plus, J-Source asked a whole slew of recent graduates for the single most important tip they'd give to students entering first-year. We've put together a selection of the best responses from successful, working graduates of Canadian j-schools.
"Work on your weaknesses. If you’re a good writer, pour your energies into reporting—make that extra phone call to get that telling detail. If you’re a strong reporter but weak writer, read On Writing Well or some Hemingway novels and spend the extra half hour with each piece to make sure everything is in its right place."
--Marco Ursi, Ryerson
After graduating from Ryerson in 2006, where he was editor of the spring issue of the Ryerson Review of Journalism, Marco worked as an intern at the Times-Colonist in Victoria. He is currently editor of Masthead, the publication for Canada's magazine industry.
"Write to get published. The more class work you can sell the better your portfolio looks.... and the more money you have. There are thousands of publications in Canada looking for articles that class assignments are a perfect fit for."
--David Hutton, Carleton
David graduated from Carleton's Master's program in May 2008. He just finished a summer internship at The Globe and Mail in Toronto and is now working at the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. He is the former editor of the J-Source Students' Lounge.
"To be successful in journalism you're going to need talent, ambition and luck. Read all the papers and get a good RSS reader. Make sure you're on top of the news every day. Learn who the department editors are when pitching. Pitch in the morning, not in the afternoon. Don't lose hope if the pitch is rejected, it happens to everyone. Invest in a DSLR camera and video camera, even if you're going to print. Start a blog but don't write about what you had for supper, write topically. Get clippings under your belt when applying for internships. When you're an intern, work long days and never say no - and more importantly, sit with the editor when they are editing your copy. Learn all you can about moving news to the web. Make it impossible for your employer to not hire you. And lastly, remember that being a journalist is the best job in the world - don't let one day get you down."
--David George-Cosh, Ryerson
David is the National Post's technology and telecom reporter. He has also worked at The Globe and Mail, The Windsor Star and The Record of Kitchener-Waterloo. He has a bachelor of applied science in engineering from the University of Waterloo and a journalism degree from Ryerson University.
"Number stories and police stories can be the least fun to write, but the key is accuracy. Listen for all the small details in a police brief and you may pick up on something another reporter doesn't. For number stories don't hesitate to ask for clarification because there are slight differences between terms like "shortfall" and "deficit" and a calculator can be your best friend."
--Erin Fitzgerald, Kings
Erin graduated from University of King's College in 2008 with a journalism degree. She is currently a reporter with the Peterborough Examiner.
"There is one simple way to survive J-School: Get out of class. Professors give you the skills, but their assignments are like exhibition games. The stakes are nominal (trust me, it's not about grades) and there's nothing like the real thing. So, write for the school paper, volunteer at the local TV station and fetch coffee as an intern if it gives you a chance to report. Learning is more fun this way."
--John Mather, Ryerson
After graduating from Ryerson, John worked as a desk editor at The Globe and Mail before returning to campus as editor-in-chief of the The Eyeopener. He is now an editor and reporter at The National, a recently-launched english daily based in the United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi.
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