Benefits of Career Planning in Advance !

I met a cousin of mine a few days back. It’s been a while we last met because she was all busy gearing up for her board exams and then occupied with the usual hassle of getting admission in a college. I thought it’s time I be the good elder cousin and ask her about what she is up to in her career and give her all those ‘valuable tips’ which usually elder sibling give to the younger ones who had just started to plan their career or about to! Deep down I wanted to intimidate her a bit, the way my elder siblings did, by using jargons and words alien to me in all their professional advices.

Right Job and Career Palnning

Much to my surprise, my cousin was nothing close to intimidated! It seemed she is well ahead of her peers in planning and executing things for herself! She was crystal clear she wanted to do a Journalism course and wanted to pursue TV Journalism in the future. She had listed down the top Journalism colleges in India way before her boards and was bang-on sure about the requirements, cut-offs and admission procedures of each of them. She had prepared herself in a way so that she could land up in one of those colleges. And she did! She was bubbling with happiness and with her achievement, and couldn’t stop talking about the happening things in her college. I never knew my little cousin would grow up to be such a pro-active girl!

She has already figured out the internship programs the best journalism graduate schools provide, and has made up her mind to intern during her vacations. Guys, she is barely 19 and she is planning her career and enjoying her life just the way she wants! I know there are many who are laid back and enjoying these initial days of college, but trust me, I think you can enjoy yourselves better if you think forward and plan out things well in advance. I didn’t give any tips to her, because I know she’s smart enough to do without them! May be you could too, just look around!

How to become a Journalist ?

So, with the best colleges for mass communication in India at your disposal, we see a lot of youngsters now getting drawn to the glamorous world of journalism and reporting! With kids copying the verbal attitudes and styles of the famous Barkha Dutt and other news reporters out there, a career in mass communication and journalism has now become the ‘IT’ thing with the khadi clad, jhola carrying crowd taking over the world of current affairs by a storm. But then again, Journalism in itself is a very demanding field, with the rise in crimes, terrorist attacks, political mayhem, it means that one has to be a part of it to cover it for the channel they work for, so in short journalism and reporting means putting your lives on line to bring out the news to all, and only the ones who actually have that in-built interest in them can actually ace this profile. If you wonder what it takes to be a journalist, just have a look:

mass communication and journalism

·         Education:

Yes, a formal education is really important to learn the nuances and tricks and tipsof the trade. This means A Bachelor's degree in journalism is generally a minimum education requirement, on the other hand trying with any other degree is possible but very difficult. Most journalism degree programs offer a broad variety of journalism topics with specifications in areas, such as public affairs, business, international or sports reporting.

·         Experience:

It is a little difficult to get through a journalism post without any prior experience, so make sure to use whatever opportunity you get in college and school to write for magazines or college newspaper. You could also apply for an internship with a media company.

·         Technical skills:

You would require excellent writing and communication skills to make your story reach the audience, you need to make sure you’re spelling, grammar are in place. You would get a very little time for yourself, but you have to learn time management.

Yes, It seems a bit too demanding, but then again, if you really enjoy it, it won’t hurt to try!

Importance of Being Inspiring and Selfless Journalist

With the rise of alternative careers in today’s world, we see a lot of youngsters exploring new horizons and trying their hands at new things. Nowadays we see a lot of new comers opting for careers like designing or dancing, which until about a decade back was considered a hobby and not a full time career. One of the most promising career for today’s youth seems to be mass communication careers, with its risks, its demands and dynamic nature, we have a lot of young people opting for it and the thrills and danger it brings with it. Now, how exactly did his occupation become so popular, the answer lies in the number of inspiring and selfless journalist and reporters out there, who work their hearts out to bring to us pure unadulterated sensible news, one of them is our dear fiery Barkha Dutt, let us study a little about her.

Born to an Air India Official father and a journalist mother, Barkha Dutt had quite the perfect environment to grow. Right from her childhood she had a sense of what danger meant or what risk meant privy to her parent’s professions. After graduating from St. Stephens College in Delhi with an English literature degree, she went on to pursue a Master’s degree in mass communications from Jamia Milia Islamia. Thereafter she joined NDTV and started her journalism career here and then rose to head its English wing. Dutt gained prominence for her reportage of the Kargil War. Dutt has won many national and international awards, including the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour for her coverage of the tsunami that lashed India in 2004. She has twice been named on the list of 100 "Global Leaders of Tomorrow" compiled by the World Economic Forum In 2005.

If you too aspire to be someone like her and be an inspiration for many of your fellow citizens, give oil to your passion by joining any of the Top journalism colleges in India and keep the fire burning!

India’s first four women journalists: The Lost gems of our country

The British Raj saw major dramatic transformation of the Indian society with the modernisation of the Indian Society for the better, With the English breakfast of bread and butter and the popularity of clothing like the trousers and blazers, India was starting to transform. On major positive change was the education of Women. Though only higher class women were educated first, slowly various option opened up for women, specially writing newsletters and articles. Let us look at India’s first four women journalists:

• VIDYA MUNSHI

Widely considered as the first woman journalist in India, she worked for several newspapers and magazines, including, devoting ten years to Russy Karanjia‘s Blitz. At a time, when the communist party was still illegal in India, she joined the Communist Party of Great Britain. She broke major stories, that received national attention then, which included, a plot by two Canadian pilots who were trying to smuggle gold through the Sunderbans and the the Chinakuri mine disaster in Asansol.

• HOMAI VYARAWALLA

Popularly known as ‘Dalda 13, Vyarawalla was India’s first woman photo journalist. Starting her career in the 1930’s, she photographed some of the most influential Indian politicians including, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Indira Gandhi. She was responsible for capturing the almost all the historic moments during India’s in independence struggle.

• PRATIMA PURI

In 1965, when Doordarshan started airing a 5 minute news bulletin, Pratima Puri became India’s first television news reader. She interviewed Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space. She was truly an inspiration for the young women of her age.

• DEVYANI CHAUBAL

She was the most popular women journalists to cover cinema in the country. Chaubal was best known for her fortnightly column, “Frankly Speaking”. She was the first woman to use ‘Hinglish,’ (using Hindi words in her otherwise English language columns) in her writing.

Now, with the best journalism graduate schools, and the best colleges for mass communication in india at your disposal, your aspirations to become one like them seems so much more easy to achieve. Don’t lose out on this opportunity and be the next popular women journalist!

Yet Another Exciting Career - Sports Journalism

I am sure you have noticed and even read the sports column that every popular newspaper has these days. This column contains news about all important sports events happening around the world. The collection and collation of all sports related information is the work of sports journalists. The facts are then presented in a manner easily understood by the sports enthusiasts. You might have taken heed of the sports tab in the modern day news applications for phones. In fact, there are separate applications dedicated only to sports. All this requires efforts and coordination. Sport journalism is immensely popular across all countries of the world, because sports fanatics don’t like to be unaware of any piece of information about their favourite sport, sportsperson, or team/club.

Even though there are a few good institutes offering various journalism courses in India, no particular institute really specializes in sports journalism. You may be very good with words but if you are not a sports lover and follower, it would be practically impossible for you to appeal to the viewers/readers. In order to write or present a story, the sports journalists also need to be aware of the rules of the game. These journalists are often sent to watch live matches so that the information they present is absolutely credible.

Sports Journalism In India

There are various categories of journalists under sports journalism. You could be a sports reporter, columnist, editor or a sub-editor. A reporter usually reports the updates related to a sport(s). He reports facts like-who won the match, his/her ranking, difference in scores etc. A columnist, on the other hand, writes objectively on any sports related issue. The responsibilities of a sports editor/sub-editor are similar to those of other editors but these revolve solely around sports.

If you wish to be a sports journalist, you could pursue a degree in journalism from any reputed Indian institute of masscommunication. It would help you form your base and you can then go on to become a sport journalist in future.

Sports journalism is an integral part of journalism across all nations of the world. There is probably no nation devoid of sports followers/enthusiasts. Sports journalism caters to the needs of these people who love to learn more about the ongoing matches, their favourite sportsperson/club/team, and any other associated events. This genre of journalism usually consists of people who have a strong passion for sports. 

Step Up....to the (Endless) World of Journalism

The layman may have a very restricted understanding of what journalism is all about. Well, let me tell you –journalism isn’t just about news articles in the papers; it’s so much more than that. So open up eyes and step in to the wonderful and exciting world of journalism! It’s sure to give you an adrenalin-rush, if you’re looking at signing up for Journalism Courses, so hold on tight!

Like everything in life, journalism comes in varying shapes and sizes (just like all the myriad Journalism and mass communication courses in India). Look at it this way, how many things are there in the world? For just about everything that exists under the sun, there’s a journalist writing or talking about it. You have your travel journalists writing about different cities, villages, countries and all the seven seas. You have food journalists writing about all things delicious that the world has to offer. You have your fashion journalists writing about all the latest trends… The list is endless. But let’s take a little look at it, shall we?

Growing Opportunities in Journalism

While actual Journalism Courses would definitely be able to tell you better (and more), I’ll take a humble shot at it! First you have all the broad facets of journalism such as print journalism, photo journalism, multimedia journalism, and broadcast journalism. Then these pillars of journalism are broken down further into different genres. To be quite honest, there are so very many types that the letters of the alphabet aren’t enough to categorize!

So if you’re interested in Journalism Courses In India, I’d suggest you do your homework and read up further (very, very extensively), on all the different kinds of journalism. There are really no limits to what a journalist’s career might entail. But here are some of the genres within journalism that are basically different spheres of life that journalism tries to cover and present to the world in beautifully formed sentences with impeccable grammar and syntax!

From A-Z, journalism has a anchor in every alphabet. There’s Art Journalism, Business Journalism, Crime/Civic/Culture/Community/Cyber Journalism, Defense Journalism, Education/Environment Journalism, Fashion/Food/Finance Journalism… You get the point, don’t you? Journalism is as exhaustive as is life. And that’s what journalism is really all about.

Whatever be the type of journalism, what it essentially is, is a narrative of the different facets of life itself, presented to the general public. Journalism is just a really exhaustive report on life! 

Writing as a Profession –Is It Your Cup of Tea?

There is a difference between writing as a hobby and taking up writing as a profession. Many of us might enjoy writing from time to time. Putting down our thoughts on a piece of paper, writing a journal entry, writing out a seemingly deep and meaningful post on Facebook, voicing your thoughts within 140 characters on Twitter, blogging frequently, writing for a school or college magazine… There are myriad platforms for one to write on.

Whether it’s for your eyes only, or for the world to see, we all write a bit now and then, don’t we? But if you are someone who quite genuinely and seriously enjoys writing, then you might be considering some sort of a career in writing.

But writing professionally is not the same as writing a ‘Dear Diary’ entry every day or blogging in your free time. If you take up a career that involves writing, then you’re in for a surprise if your idea of writing is just something that you do to relax in your spare time or to jot down a spark of creativity when it come to you (however frequent or rare that may be).

When writing becomes your profession, you may find yourself lost in a whirlpool of words every single day. Sometimes, it may not be all that you’ve built it up to be, or perhaps it will even exceed your expectations. But unless you’re positive that you want to enter the field of writing, perhaps the best way to figure it out is to test the waters. You could sign up for a diploma in mass communication from the indian institute of mass communication, for example. The indian institute of mass communication is the best there is, and so if you obtain a diploma in mass communication from there (or any other top-rated institute), you will get a feel of what writing professionally is all about. And you’ll definitely be better equipped to make a decision about whether it’s exactly what you had in mind, or whether it’s not quite your cup of tea.