Q. Thanks for answering these questions. I've often found helpful bits of advice in reading your replies to others.
My own issue is this: I'm entering my final year as an undergraduate in journalism school, and although I've completed internships and spent several years at my college paper, it's been quite a while since I've worked. Instead, I've opted to add a second major in an attempt to make myself stand out in the crowded field (it seems like everyone has a j-school degree these days). I'm worried, though, that I may actually be hurting my future job prospects.
To catch up on my second major, I had to stay at school this summer and complete coursework. So, by the time I graduate next June, two years will have passed since my last internship. I've been trying to freelance a bit in my spare time, but that writing hasn't been printed in any major publications, and my focus for the next year or so will need to remain on school. I don't have time to return to my college paper, and I've already held multiple positions there anyway. Are my chances of finding a good newspaper job next year slim to none?
On EdgeA. This is a problem.
Although a second major can mean some unique qualifications and could really help you out down the road, the lack of recent experience could prevent you from getting on that road.
For most entry-level hires, editors are looking to make surefire, no-risk offers. A two-year gap since you've last published is bound to raise some eyebrows.
That said, you don't need a ton of clips to bridge that gap. If you could publish three or four good clips this school year and add them to your best clips from before, there will appear to be some continuity.
See whether any of the writing assignments you will have to do this year can be done instead as an article -- or recast that way -- to give you fresh clips.
Joe has more on clips in "Breaking In: The JobsPage.com Guide to Newspaper Internships."Coming Monday: She's a copy editor whose waning interest was reignited by a copy editor. Now, he has been laid off and he has told her to get out while she can. Should she abandon her dreams of teaching journalism?
A two-year gap since you've last published is bound to...
