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Q. I'm a soon-to-be college graduate working toward a degree in news-editorial journalism. As a student, it is daunting, if not utterly discouraging, to think about the prospect of graduating and not being able to find a job in my field. I've had the good fortune of having a handful of internships in both print and broadcast journalism, in addition to freelance experience -- but I'm feeling like that isn't enough.

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I've begun looking at master's programs in multimedia. I've recently started an online magazine at my university, which is what piqued my interest in the subject. But I'm beginning to wonder if going back to school for an advanced degree in multimedia would benefit me more than going out on the job hunt.

I realize that there's value in clips from professional papers, but that's something I already have a lot of.

If you couldn't tell, I feel like going back to school is the right decision, but considering the gravity of the decision, getting numerous opinions is vital.

Considering that journalism is heading in the direction of increased multimedia usage, would you consider going back to school for an advanced degree in multimedia a good decision?

Thanks,

Ben

A. It seems you want to go to grad school So, go to grad school!

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Joe Grimm

  Choose a school that emphasizes practice over theory. Don't just go by what the school says. Look at the course offerings. You need genuine hands-on producing, not theory or coursework about where journalism is headed.
  
  
• Go with a school that has a lot of visits from recruiters. This will ease your transition to the workforce later. Medill, Columbia and the University of California-Berkeley have a lot of people who annually want to meet their grad students.
  
  
• Avoid programs that want you to repeat a lot of work you did while studying journalism as an undergraduate. The programs should have different requirements for people who have already studied a lot of journalism and for those who are new to it -- despite their desire to have everyone meet their standards.
  

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Coming Tuesday: After several years of constant school and then a six-month internship, she feels burned out and needs a break. But she fears that will derail her.

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