Journalism is a field that relies heavily on the ability to communicate ideas clearly and the ability to use technology proficiently. Even in just a few short years, the resources available to journalists have expanded immeasurably, making this career field more accessible to many people. While this may make it seem like journalism is an easy field to break into, you will still need to hone specific skills and talents.

Grammar and Spelling Still Matters

While there is software to help you double-check your writing for errors, you should still have a basic understanding of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Taking a college writing course is still one of the best ways to reinforce your existing knowledge of writing, and you may even learn something new.

Learn How to Use Technology

Writing in a digital world means you’ll have to know how to use more software than just a word processor. Many journalism jobs require writers to supply their images, which means knowing where to find images that aren’t copyright restricted. You will also have to understand how to use software that allows you to resize and edit photos. Expanding your knowledge of software capabilities can help you become more marketable as a journalism professional.

Publish Your Work

Even before you get your first paying job as a journalist, you should begin publishing your writing online. You can submit your work to blogs and news sites as a freelancer, start a blog, or make thought-provoking posts on your social media accounts. Your goal should be to build a body of work that you can show to prospective employers. Along the way, you can establish yourself as an authority.

Research Everything

You will come across other writers who take a story idea and run with it without doing any real research. You can earn a better reputation for yourself and make yourself more employable by taking the time to write unbiased and well-researched articles. Readers will know by your writing style how deeply you researched a topic, so by working hard on each piece, and you’ll appeal to more people. Those readers will eventually seek out your work.

Building a promising career in journalism takes the hard work and dedication that goes into any other career. Fortunately, the resources are available everywhere online at low to no financial costs. This means you can hone your journalism skills at the same time that you’re following your career path.