These online courses may be the key to landing your dream job.
Do you dream of landing a job in journalism? It is one of the most exciting industries in the world, and one that is very fulfilling for anyone lucky enough to work within it. It’s broad, creative, and endless with opportunity.
It can be competitive, so if you are hoping to get a job in this exciting industry, why not put your best foot forward and attempt to up-skill while you search.
There are a number of really excellent online courses in journalism and writing available that might help you to secure your dream job.
Creative Writing, Shaw Academy.
Starting with the very basics of creative writing, this course takes you from coming to grips with the key elements of craft and form, to being a 21st-century wordsmith with an advanced understanding of the zeitgeist and its modes. You will start with an overview of the core concepts of story – research, setting, character and dialogue – a basic exploration of The Hero’s Journey and its main character archetypes, as well as an overview of the essential tools of the trade needed to write professionally. The course will end with a step-by-step guide to the process of publication, where you will learn about the the pre-publication phases of beta-reading and criticism, learn how to assemble necessary auxiliary documentation, as well as how to handle the process of actual submission.
Gathering and Developing the News, Coursera.
Journalists develop information through interviews and sources. The most successful journalists quickly master these important skill sets. The production of journalism relies on several elements: news gathering, interviewing sources, researching and trying to find as much information as possible. The course will also teach you how to where to find information, interviewing skills and how to process information from various sources for publication.
Journalism Skills for Beginners, Udemy.
Journalism for Beginners – in a total of over 80 lectures and 3 hours of videos – includes an overview of the whole reporting and writing process, and then is split into three main sections – Reporting, Writing, and Getting Published. The emphasis of this course is on reporting, writing and selling your story – making an income from the sale of your story. That is the goal medium to long term, deriving income from the sale of your stories. But it also includes some of the tactics needed to build up a portfolio of stories – some of which may be published for free – in order to demonstrate to prospective editors that you can report and write, and know your subject.
Good with Words: Writing and Editing, Coursera.
Perhaps the most important thing students and professionals of all kinds can do to improve their effectiveness is embrace the following advice: become good with words. This series of courses targets the writing side of that recommendation. The skills it focuses on include everything from how to arrange a complex set of information in a reader-friendly way, to how to give and receive high-quality feedback, to how to consistently hit deadlines.
Part of the proceeds from this course will be donated to the COVID-19 relief efforts of Ozone House, a shelter for homeless youth in Southeastern Michigan.
Interviewing: Professional Journalism Techniques.
Interviews are a major instrument in journalism. They play two different roles. First, interviews are a certain journalistic copy form. You know these question and answer conversations from print and online newspapers and magazines and also from radio and TV. Second, journalists use interviews as a specific investigation method. In this case, the conversation isn’t published or broadcasted, but provides important insights a report is based on. Interviews are an essential part of a journalist’s toolkit. So, it’s important for a journalist to master interview techniques.
Oh, and if you’re looking for a journalism role, be sure to keep a close eye on Jobbio for all the exciting opportunities coming up!
