From 2013 to fall 2014, I worked at The Daily Helmsman, the University of Memphis’ student-run newspaper, first as a reporter and, last semester, as a copyeditor and video games reviewer.
I sort of fell into copyediting, and reviewing video games was my idea. Apparently, I was pretty successful at both jobs. Copyediting let me get a look at the behind-the-scenes workings of the newspaper, and I gained valuable editing skills during my time there. Reviewing video games let me continue outputting creative works, covering something I was interested in. I hope to parlay both of those experiences—along with my work as a regular reporter—into a career in the journalism industry.
But to me, the best part of my degree is that I’m not necessarily “stuck with” a journalism job. A journalism degree can be used to secure a number of writing jobs—editing, copy writing, etc.—for businesses and organizations outside of the journalism industry.
Even so, I’m thankful to the Helmsman for the skills and experience I gained while I was working there, and I think that it’s an essential component of any young reporter’s education.
I sort of fell into copyediting, and reviewing video games was my idea. Apparently, I was pretty successful at both jobs. Copyediting let me get a look at the behind-the-scenes workings of the newspaper, and I gained valuable editing skills during my time there. Reviewing video games let me continue outputting creative works, covering something I was interested in. I hope to parlay both of those experiences—along with my work as a regular reporter—into a career in the journalism industry.
But to me, the best part of my degree is that I’m not necessarily “stuck with” a journalism job. A journalism degree can be used to secure a number of writing jobs—editing, copy writing, etc.—for businesses and organizations outside of the journalism industry.
Even so, I’m thankful to the Helmsman for the skills and experience I gained while I was working there, and I think that it’s an essential component of any young reporter’s education.