Comments on: Confessions of a Journalism Student http://seanblanda.com/blog/college/confessions-of-a-journalism-student/ Freelance journalist, web designer, media dude Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:39:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Airom http://seanblanda.com/blog/college/confessions-of-a-journalism-student/#comment-504 Airom Sat, 31 May 2008 11:37:58 +0000 http://seanblanda.com/blog/?p=195#comment-504 Hi there, I am in my second to last year of High School and have been thinking about journalism since about 12. What is your opinion on doing a Major in Political Science and Minor in English and then getting a jouranlism degree? I am from NZ, our education system is a bit different here. Good, informative blog btw. Hi there,
I am in my second to last year of High School and have been thinking about journalism since about 12. What is your opinion on doing a Major in Political Science and Minor in English and then getting a jouranlism degree? I am from NZ, our education system is a bit different here.

Good, informative blog btw.

]]> By: Schools (not) out for summer « Conquering the conventional http://seanblanda.com/blog/college/confessions-of-a-journalism-student/#comment-464 Schools (not) out for summer « Conquering the conventional Tue, 06 May 2008 20:54:43 +0000 http://seanblanda.com/blog/?p=195#comment-464 [...] Sean Blanda made a great point in that journalism students are among the few who have to produce the exact product that they are studying long before they ever get their degree. This is bizarre when you think about it. Would you want the doc going down to surgery before he’s certified? No? Well journalism is just as important to society as a doctorate and scalpel can be to healthy surgery. Journalism interns are not eased into situations. It is sink or swim. [...] […] Sean Blanda made a great point in that journalism students are among the few who have to produce the exact product that they are studying long before they ever get their degree. This is bizarre when you think about it. Would you want the doc going down to surgery before he’s certified? No? Well journalism is just as important to society as a doctorate and scalpel can be to healthy surgery. Journalism interns are not eased into situations. It is sink or swim. […]

]]> By: SeanBlanda.com » The 1 thing every journalism professor should do http://seanblanda.com/blog/college/confessions-of-a-journalism-student/#comment-428 SeanBlanda.com » The 1 thing every journalism professor should do Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:55:08 +0000 http://seanblanda.com/blog/?p=195#comment-428 [...] would help combat reason #4 in my “Confessions of a Journalism Student” post, where students are often forced to choose between doing work for an internship/school [...] […] would help combat reason #4 in my “Confessions of a Journalism Student” post, where students are often forced to choose between doing work for an internship/school […]

]]> By: Petri Dish Universities | HackCollege http://seanblanda.com/blog/college/confessions-of-a-journalism-student/#comment-418 Petri Dish Universities | HackCollege Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:29:54 +0000 http://seanblanda.com/blog/?p=195#comment-418 [...] Wordpress MU inside and out. Neither of those things were encouraged by his journalism school. He points out that “two of the best journalism schools in the country (so I hear), Syracuse and Northwestern, [...] […] Wordpress MU inside and out. Neither of those things were encouraged by his journalism school. He points out that “two of the best journalism schools in the country (so I hear), Syracuse and Northwestern, […]

]]> By: skilzzz133 http://seanblanda.com/blog/college/confessions-of-a-journalism-student/#comment-416 skilzzz133 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:40:32 +0000 http://seanblanda.com/blog/?p=195#comment-416 I’m sure it’s not true! If it was, nothing lake that would have been posted! It sounds so weird! I doubt that anyone would ever believe it! I’m sure it’s not true! If it was, nothing lake that would have been posted! It sounds so weird! I doubt that anyone would ever believe it!

]]> By: The Journalism Iconoclast » Grades (education) matter for journalism (all) students http://seanblanda.com/blog/college/confessions-of-a-journalism-student/#comment-413 The Journalism Iconoclast » Grades (education) matter for journalism (all) students Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:58:29 +0000 http://seanblanda.com/blog/?p=195#comment-413 [...] get good (multimedia and online) clips, but journalism students need a balance. Journalism student Sean Blanda wrote: My GPA doesn’t matter. I have been told this by nearly every journalist I have asked. [...] […] get good (multimedia and online) clips, but journalism students need a balance. Journalism student Sean Blanda wrote: My GPA doesn’t matter. I have been told this by nearly every journalist I have asked. […]

]]> By: Mindy McAdams http://seanblanda.com/blog/college/confessions-of-a-journalism-student/#comment-412 Mindy McAdams Mon, 07 Apr 2008 01:26:25 +0000 http://seanblanda.com/blog/?p=195#comment-412 Great post, Sean. I'm sure it seems like a strange time to be a journalism student, but there have been strange times before (like during the Reagan recession). Matt Waite's advice is spot-on, for certain, but I'd like to argue with all these folks saying "computer science." It depends on your school, of course, but in many four-year universities, you can't find a cutting-end how-to course for Web and database programming. Why not? Same thing you're saying here about j-schools. The people with a Ph.D. in computer science were not in a production environment last year building new Web apps, and many of them might not have a clue about Ajax or Django or Ruby on Rails. Great post, Sean. I’m sure it seems like a strange time to be a journalism student, but there have been strange times before (like during the Reagan recession).

Matt Waite’s advice is spot-on, for certain, but I’d like to argue with all these folks saying “computer science.” It depends on your school, of course, but in many four-year universities, you can’t find a cutting-end how-to course for Web and database programming. Why not? Same thing you’re saying here about j-schools. The people with a Ph.D. in computer science were not in a production environment last year building new Web apps, and many of them might not have a clue about Ajax or Django or Ruby on Rails.

]]> By: Greg Linch http://seanblanda.com/blog/college/confessions-of-a-journalism-student/#comment-411 Greg Linch Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:06:51 +0000 http://seanblanda.com/blog/?p=195#comment-411 Great post with a lot of dead-on points. I did something similar in February: <a href="http://www.greglinch.com/2008/02/wanted-resident-butt-kicker-thoughts-on.html" rel="nofollow">Wanted: Resident Butt-Kicker (Thoughts on journalism education)</a> Great post with a lot of dead-on points.

I did something similar in February:
Wanted: Resident Butt-Kicker (Thoughts on journalism education)

]]> By: Notes from a Teacher: Mark on Media » Sunday squibs http://seanblanda.com/blog/college/confessions-of-a-journalism-student/#comment-410 Notes from a Teacher: Mark on Media » Sunday squibs Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:43:40 +0000 http://seanblanda.com/blog/?p=195#comment-410 [...] Confessions of a Journalism Student. Journalism education is much on my mind (as it usually is) and I found this post by Sean Blanda one of the better recent pieces of writing on the subject, perhaps because it’s one of he few that’s actually come from a student. Some great stuff in the post and in the comments. [...] […] Confessions of a Journalism Student. Journalism education is much on my mind (as it usually is) and I found this post by Sean Blanda one of the better recent pieces of writing on the subject, perhaps because it’s one of he few that’s actually come from a student. Some great stuff in the post and in the comments. […]

]]> By: Kelly Sutton http://seanblanda.com/blog/college/confessions-of-a-journalism-student/#comment-408 Kelly Sutton Sun, 06 Apr 2008 01:24:03 +0000 http://seanblanda.com/blog/?p=195#comment-408 This will fall in a Cal Newport "Dangerous Ideas" post: It seems like fewer and fewer people are being hired to do exactly what their major specifies. This is true with the liberal arts, and it's becoming more so the case with sciences every day. Warning: ego approaching. To quote one of my professors, CS is still one of the few non-transitive sciences. It's extremely difficult to get a degree in journalism then start learning CS. It is significantly less difficult--on the other hand--for a CS major to learn how to write well. I am not a good writer by any means, but reptition has taught me the difference between "than" and "then." A rule of thumb I have kind of developed: If your major overlaps with core classes a little too much (journalism/English) or if you can teach yourself what your professor taught during a lecture within an afternoon, your major falls into the "easy" category. While certain programs may be more intensive than others (Northwestern), any dumb dude can get lucky and start writing for magazines. Like me. Maybe I'll write a post about this... This will fall in a Cal Newport “Dangerous Ideas” post:

It seems like fewer and fewer people are being hired to do exactly what their major specifies. This is true with the liberal arts, and it’s becoming more so the case with sciences every day.

Warning: ego approaching. To quote one of my professors, CS is still one of the few non-transitive sciences. It’s extremely difficult to get a degree in journalism then start learning CS. It is significantly less difficult–on the other hand–for a CS major to learn how to write well. I am not a good writer by any means, but reptition has taught me the difference between “than” and “then.”

A rule of thumb I have kind of developed: If your major overlaps with core classes a little too much (journalism/English) or if you can teach yourself what your professor taught during a lecture within an afternoon, your major falls into the “easy” category. While certain programs may be more intensive than others (Northwestern), any dumb dude can get lucky and start writing for magazines. Like me.

Maybe I’ll write a post about this…

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