What do we want our future to look like

I'm worried that I'm not going to have a job when I graduate. I"m scared that journalism is going to shit, and we're going to suffer from it.

Obviously the journalism field is changing in a lot of ways. It's going online and coming at us faster, it's becoming condensed and more wide spread at the same time. Newspapers are crumbling, but there are exponentially more ways to get news online.

I think it's our responsibility to make sure that we have the skills we need to go in to the real world. but I think that we also have the option to shape that real world into what we want it to be IF we go about it in the right way.

So what can we do?

First I think that it's important to address what we're learning. That's why were here after all. I think that teachers for the most part are aware of the changes and want to help us. They (and potentially the administration) just need a push. The curriculum needs a serious update, and it needs to continue to be made current with all the changes that are happening. Is learning page design really relevant if newspaper pages aren't going to exist anymore?

If things are going to change we're going to have to be the ones to change them. That means we need to start pushing ourselves, and find innovative ways to keep up, and influence what journalism looks like. Luckily we're surrounded by smart people who are in the same boat. I think we have power in numbers, we just need to motivate.

So what does that mean? what can we do?

I think some kind of online collective is a good start, especially if we can find an effective way to market it, and make it relevant. We're all obviously producing a high volume of work, and hypothetically some of it is socially relevant and good. Lets get it out there, make it look good, and establish ourselves.

Then I think we need to think about where media is going. A discussion needs to be started, preferably including students, faculty, and working professionals. I don't think this would be that hard to put together, it'll just take a little bit of motivation.

Motivation is key here. Things are cutthroat. We can't depend on anyone else to pave the way for us, or hand us anything, or even tell us what journalism is going to look like in five years. It's on us.