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News & investigative
Journalist
A shrinking industry that still needs people who can report.
Typical pay
$38k-$85k
How you get in
Clips and a beat; journalism degree optional
Outlook
Declining overall; niche and trade publications hold up better
Journalists report, verify and write stories for publications and broadcast. Local newsrooms have contracted severely; the work is still essential, and the people who survive combine reporting with a specific beat or technical skill.
A day in the life
- 8:00aScan the wires and check overnight developments
- 9:00aWork sources — calls and messages, mostly unreturned
- 11:00aAttend a public meeting or press conference
- 1:00pLunch while transcribing
- 2:00pWrite against the afternoon deadline
- 5:00pEdits, fact checks, then file
How to get in
Build clips and start local
Duration
1-3 years
Cost
$0
Credential
None — published work
- Write for a student, community or local outlet — anywhere with an editor
- Develop a beat where you know more than other reporters
- Build sources patiently; they are the actual asset
- Move to larger outlets with clips and a specialty
Journalism degree
Duration
4 years
Cost
$40,000-$180,000
Credential
BA in journalism or communications
- Complete a journalism program and work at the student paper from day one
- Do at least one newsroom internship
- Learn data, audio or video skills alongside writing
- Graduate with clips — the degree alone is not the credential
Specialize into trade or data journalism
Duration
1-3 years
Cost
$0-$5,000
Credential
None — domain or technical expertise
- Pick a field with money behind it — healthcare, finance, energy, tech
- Write for trade publications, which pay better than local news
- Or add data analysis and visualization skills
- This is the most durable version of the career right now
What people love
- · Genuinely consequential public-interest work
- · Access to people and rooms most never see
- · Portfolio matters more than credentials
- · Skills transfer to communications and policy
What wears people down
- · Industry contraction is real and ongoing
- · Low pay, especially at local outlets
- · Deadline pressure is constant
- · Public hostility toward the profession