Q: I’m 23 and in j-school finishing up an MA degree. I’ve had four internships, but am not really sure how this equates to “real world experience.” I didn’t go to the best of j-schools. My goal is to work at a medium to large-sized newspaper some day as a reporter or editor and I went to j-school hoping that I could avoid working for several years at a small-town paper trying to get my foot in the door. But lately I’ve been feeling as though I’m going to be competing for entry-level jobs with people who just got BA’s. What can I do? Does my M.A. mean anything?
T
A: Your chief advantage will be your internships. The master's degree can help, but the experience will be your biggest help in starting at a larger newspaper.
Don't discount the value of a small-paper experience, and don't discount the worthiness of people "who just got BA's." Life -- and journalism -- are not so cut-and-dried.
