How to be a journalist
How I did it: I studied at the University of Queensland for 3 years, worked for free at The Courier Mail, AAP and Wangaratta Chronicle to get experience and references, and was successful.
Persistence and willingness to relocate are very important. Work for free and make sure you have a portfolio. Make contact and follow things up.
I am now aiming to use my experiences to work in Marketing and PR because I found the fierce competition and stress too much. Its not worth it.
Lessons & tips: Only the tough survive in this industry, its extremely cut-throat and
jobs are unstable. They'll fire you at the drop of a hat (for poor grammar) and expect
you to deliver miracles. The hours are insane. Its worth it at the
end of a deadline, when you hold the finished product though!
Accuracy and correct grammar are as important to journalism as location is to real estate. You can't make any mistakes. Particularly when quoting people.
Resources: Seek, Margaret Gee's media guide, other journalists, the Style guide.
