Talking to students

I had two opportunities this week to speak to students about this journalism thing, first to high schoolers and then to undergraduates. I think I was invited because I’m still reasonably close to students in age, and I remember what it was like to be in their position. And there’s the thing: they’re in the position of wanting to go into journalism (possibly newspapers) at a nervous and exciting time for the field. The challenge I faced was speaking candidly without scaring them off.

This was most acute yesterday, when I went out to Eastern Washington University in Cheney with a former co-worker from the copy desk. I guessed correctly that this group would want to hear about the nuts and bolts of getting a job. So I tried to pair my insights about copy editing with tips that could be applicable in other newsroom jobs — and, for that matter, journalism jobs outside the newsroom.At the end, the instructor (a former Spokesman-Review colleague) lobbed up a question about what students and new journalists can do to be ready for change. Here’s what I told them:

• Learn some html, even if it’s not quite enough to build an entire website.
• Learn as many software programs as you can stand. Specifically, I mentioned Flash and Photoshop, especially for the students interested in design.
• Be ready move around, geographically and professionally. Don’t turn up your nose at first jobs at smaller papers in places you have never heard of. My first copy editing internship was in Stockton, Calif., a city I feel no compulsion to visit again anytime soon.
• Hone your writing and editing skills, because no matter the platform, good journalism depends on them.
• Most importantly, keep the faith. The business model for newspapers is hurting. We hear news such as hundreds of layoffs or newspaper chains offering buyouts to 1,100 employees increasingly often. But there will continue to be a need for people who can use words and strong news judgment to convey important information about our world. The platform just might be different, and there may be fewer jobs.

That last point has been rattling in my brain since I spoke it. Am I being overly optimistic or even naive? Was I telling these students what I thought they wanted to hear or what I believe? And if it’s the latter, how strong is the conviction?

The answers I’ve landed on are “no,” “what I believe” and “strongly.” I didn’t (and couldn’t) guarantee that every student in there would find a long and sustaining career in the news. But I did try to emphasize that there will be opportunities for the journalists who are hungry to grow and flexible enough to ride the increasingly seismic waves in the industry. You can call me Pollyannaish if you wish. You can point out that I’ve only been doing this a couple years. And you might note that I was not among the dozen-plus staffers laid off from my own newsroom in November. But I didn’t stand by this belief, I would be looking for a new profession instead of typing this.