February Topic: Forget about your degree?
What’s that you say? February is nearly over? We know, and we’re sorry. Or rather — I’m sorry. It’s my turn to add the TNTJ topic this month and you’ll just have to believe me when I tell you I’ve had an absolute shocker of a month.
Greg did some leg-work early on to find some suggestions for topics. And, as ever, our Twitter followers did us proud with some really sterling ideas:
redaxelrod @TNTJ Ask j-school students who are about to graduate how they are
feeling and what they’re planning to do.redaxelrod @TNTJ Ask non-students what they would do if they were about to
graduate right now. Or what it was like when they graduated.jssilfies @TNTJ What’s one thing you’d change about j-school? Or, what is one
thing — be it a skill or a theory or advice — you need to know?
So I thought I’d try and blend those thoughts with something else that has been bouncing around the blogosphere today.
Paul Durrant, editor of the Eastern Daily Press (for our non-UK readers and contributors, the EDP is a pretty major regional here), told a recent conference that he isn’t concerned with journalism graduates:
“I’m bothered about NCTJ qualifications – I’m bothered about vocational training. I’m looking for maturity, passion and confidence.
“In terms of currency in the industry, I need to know someone’s got 100wpm shorthand, that they know what a Section 39 is.”
Whether you’re studying a degree course at a college or university or not — what is your reaction to this? Isn’t there more to learning journalism than just notching up shorthand and knowing your way around a court room? What about ethics and standards?
Students — how does this make you feel? Should you just jack it in, take up a quick course in reporting fundamentals and head to your nearest newsroom?
Graduates — has your degree been useful to you, or would Durrant’s suggestion have offered a better, quicker route to success?
Over to you.
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February 18th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
[...] Update: Over at Journalism.co.uk Dave Lee is asking for opinion on this whole debate as part of their Tomorr… [...]
February 22nd, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Although journalism degrees are more expensive than NCTJ exams, I feel that my degree gave me excellent training in online journalism, allowed me to experience journalim production, and encouraged me to seek out as much work experience as possible.
I also benefited from the extra resources that my university had as well as the wide mix of people on different degrees, who were often useful story sources.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Learning the skills to pass NCTJ is not easy, in fact passing 100wpm shorthand is one of the toughest things I’ve done.
But a degree allows us to really think about where journalism is heading, what makes a good journalist and experiment with writing style.
The best journalists probably have a combination of essential NCTJ skills and a good degree.
My only concern with undergrad degrees is that they might produce journalists who are more concerned with the media than the world around them
March 28th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
[...] in the industry are urging the importance of correct training. Eastern Daily Press deputy editor Paul Durrant told a recent NCTJ student council meeting, that he felt vocational qualifications were more desirable [...]