GETTING STARTED

A useful starting point is to establish whether you are interested in a specific branch of journalism, since some journalism courses are geared towards those wanting to work for newspapers, magazines or in broadcasting, for example.
However you may not be sure whether you want to specialise in a particular discipline and there are also more general journalism courses for those who have no clear idea at this stage of their future career path.
Be aware that the business is changing rapidly, with fewer "traditional" jobs in newspapers and more opportunities for those working on websites and specialist publications.
Similarly there is more overlap between these disciplines; all print publications now have an online presence and there is an expectation that you will understand how to write for the web, take digital photographs and upload video packages.
Some media companies are "broadcasting" on the web and all newsrooms realise the importance of serving online readers, as well as those buying a traditional printed product.
Traditionally, most journalists started their careers working as a reporter for a daily or weekly regional paper. This is no longer automatic and there are many other ways of breaking into the business for those who have no desire to work as a local reporter.
It’s worth remembering too that there are numerous behind-the-scenes journalistic jobs which might be of interest to you too.
Sub-editors, for example, are the people who design and lay out newspaper pages as well as editing copy. There are also opportunities for designers in both the print and electronic media. Or you might be interested in working as a broadcast researcher rather than an on-screen presenter or newsreader.
The site is divided into different sections to help guide you through the journalism training options in a logical way.
You might start by looking at the qualifications and qualities required to become a journalist.
The training courses pages then look at the journalism training options in print, broadcast magazine and digital journalism.
You can also find out more about introductory distance learning courses available through journalism4schools.
Links are provided to the different independent sites run by various colleges and employers.