Setting yourself up for career success takes planning, effort, and research. For many people, it can be a real process to figure out what path to take, what kind of education to pursue, and what future to forge for themselves. Perhaps you’ve been looking into a Masters in Digital Journalism, asking yourself whether it makes sense for your career goals and aspirations. It’s not exactly a traditional Masters, as you don’t always hear about people enrolling in this program, so it’s natural to have some questions.
Here we’ll take a closer look at some of the exciting and diverse careers you can pursue with a Masters in Digital Journalism, as well as a closer look at the program itself.
What You’ll Be Learning in the Program
Digital journalism is something that may sound very new and modern but it is simply answering the need to have people trained in today’s high-tech multimedia industry. You will learn all about the foundations of journalism, but the program also dives deep into the role of digital media, how you can best connect with an audience through digital means, and how you can blend these high-tech tools with the high standards and ethics of journalism.
The program will take you through all the digital platforms – video, audio, photography, and design, giving you a complete picture of what the world of journalism is like today. There’s also the opportunity to enroll in an online journalism degree, which can be more flexible than the traditional in-person/on-campus style of program.
Some of the basics you’ll be covering in the Masters in Digital Journalism include:
- Social media storytelling
- Digital reporting
- Coding and interactive storytelling
- Journalism ethics
It can be an incredibly interesting career path for the right candidates.
Traditional Career Paths You Can Pursue
As there are so many different career paths you can pursue with your Masters’s in Digital Journalism, we can only highlight a few. These are some of the more traditional careers, keeping in mind that you will bring to the position a modern take on digital technology and how it can be used seamlessly in the job.
Writer – When you think of a job as a journalist, often the first thing that comes to mind is a writer. To excel in this job, you’ll need more than your Masters; you’ll also need to be a detail-oriented creative type of person. It’s also important to be self-driven in that you don’t need to be micro-managed. This means time management skills will be necessary. As a writer, you may choose to write fiction or non-fiction, online magazine articles, blogging, scripts, children’s content, and so forth. Saying you are a “writer” is quite vast as writing can incorporate any topic or subject.
Editor – Editors play an extremely important role in any publication both digital and in traditional print form. An editor is responsible for managing the in-house and freelance writers, assigning content, helping with the layout, overseeing the design and artwork, coming up with content ideas, editing articles and potentially re-writing them, and more. This is a more senior-level role than a writer and maybe something you need to work your way up to.
Reporter – For those who like to be in the middle of the action, reporting on the stories that matter at the moment, you may prefer the job of a reporter. Typically, you’ll be out in the field, interviewing key contacts and you may even be assigned a particular “beat” to report on. This can be a very fast-paced and even stressful job, but for many, that is what makes it so exciting.
Web content manager – This can be an excellent use of your master’s in digital journalism since a web content manager needs to be well versed in all-things digital media-related. This is a senior-level role wherein you will most likely be overseeing staff such as developers and editors, and helping to shape the direction of the publication. There is often equal focus on the logistics, policies, and analytics as there is on the content itself. Some web content managers even write and then edit the web copy.
Columnist – Here’s a more traditional career path but, thanks to your digital journalism masters, you can inject it with some modern tech. As a columnist, it will be up to you to write and potentially edit content for a regular column. Traditionally, this would appear in a newspaper, but with today’s digital-dependent industry, that content may appear regularly in an online publication. Columnists tend to build an audience and carry with them a level of authority, being an expert in their field. It can be helpful to write about a topic you know and love so that your passion shines through the writing.
Use Your Master’s for Other Careers as Well
While each of the above-mentioned careers is a natural fit for someone with a Master’s in Digital Journalism, it’s also important to point out that there are other career paths you can take. These are careers in which your particular Masters’s could help give you the edge over the competition.
Some examples of less traditional careers for graduates of a Masters in Digital Journalism program include:
- Translator
- Public relations officer
- Digital copywriter
- Science writer
- Advertising copywriter
- Multimedia specialist
- Market research analyst
- Political risk analyst
Even if you start your career out as a writer or reporter, at least you know there are options available to you down the road should you decide to change paths. It’s a very versatile Masters once you start to look at it more closely.
Deciding to pursue a Masters’s in something that can help no matter what your career aspirations may be. It helps to give you authenticity and authority when you’re out searching for a job and it prepares you for your dream career. A Masters in Digital Journalism is an intriguing path to follow, opening a wide array of career paths that allow you to change directions whenever you choose.
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