Is a degree in journalism "useless"?
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Woody Goulart
Woody Goulart is a thought leader and innovative pro in both traditional and digital media public relations and strategic communications management.
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A controversial online report from The Daily Beast suggests that some majors, such as journalism, are “useless.”
One working journalist disagreed in a well-written statement worth reading.
I take issue with the label of “useless” in referring to majoring in journalism, not just because I majored in journalism. Truth and beauty and what is “useless” are all things that are strictly in the eye of the beholder. A long time ago, one Star Trek episode from the original series wanted us to ask, “Is truth not truth for all?” Wise is the person who understands the correct answer to that question is “No!”
I feel that I was fortunate to have studied journalism in a polytechnic environment. That’s an unusual word that basically describes an institution of learning that offers students instruction and hands-on training in industry-specific and technical skills in an applied sciences format. So it is that I became biased in favor of a polytechnic institution. If you major in journalism specifically at a venue where you can learn industry-specific, technical skills in an applied sciences format, your major will NOT be “useless” when you graduate.
Why? The elusive truth is that your major is not as important as what you can do with it after you are no longer a university student. What you study is less important that whether you emerge from a university with new skills that allow you to use your mind effectively so that you behave in ways that will help you survive in the 21st century.
I believe very strongly that anyone who has learned how to use their mind effectively so they can behave in ways conducive to survival will NEVER conclude their journalism major is “useless” based on the current employment possibilities within various journalistic professions or the typical annual salaries that people earn. A university degree is no guarantee of happiness or success in personal or professional life. But if you attain a polytechnic education, your mind will be trained in an essential combination of technical and intellectual skills that can shape how you process life in your head.
Part of that skill of using your mind effectively so that you behave in ways conducive to survival is that you must learn how to be adaptable. Equally important is that you must learn genuinely how to welcome change all around you and embrace change in your professional life. This is true whether your major is journalism or something else. The trick is to learn technical abilities that you can then repurpose to new technology as it emerges. At the same time, your intellectual skills (such as how you seek information and how you process what you find) must be fluid so that how your mind works is never outmoded as society keeps changing.
I speak from experience: I graduated with an undergraduate degree in journalism before there were personal computers or cameras that don’t use film or voice recorders that don’t use tape or the Internet or blogging or Facebook or Google Drive. Somehow I survived decade after decade of tumultuous changes in technology and in the journalism profession. You can, too. The only thing that can make your journalism major “useless” is if you somehow do not learn how to use your mind effectively so that you can behave in ways conducive to your survival.
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Glassdoor – an inside look at jobs & companies
Search jobs then look inside. Company salaries, reviews, interview questions, and more – all posted anonymously by employees and job seekers.
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You, too, can showcase your professional accomplishments and your brand online like this:
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Woody Goulart
Woody Goulart is a thought leader and innovative pro in both traditional and digital media public relations and strategic communications management.
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I enthusiastically recommend using Scribd.com
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Wgoulart PR Communications Marketing Executive 2012
Woody Goulart is an innovative leader with significant experience and credibility as a strategic advisor, coach, editor, and writer for senior level executives in the Washington, DC media market. by w…
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http://neonfunjungle.com/2012/03/07/lessons-learned-from-loose-lips/
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- Neon Fun Jungle
Woody Goulart wrote Neon Fun Jungle: Quest for adventure in Hollywood rock and roll radio for the younger generations—anyone who was not yet alive in 1965.
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Do we really need 8 hours of sleep?
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The myth of the eight-hour sleep
Sleeping in one eight-hour chunk is a very recent phenomenon, and lying awake at night could be good for you, according to scientists and historians.
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There is no one who can satisfy the base of the GOP—a cohort so drunk on ideology and resentment that they cheer electrocutions and boo a soldier—and be elected president of the United States. Period.
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Michael Tomasky: There Will Be No Saviors for the GOP in 2012
The Republican party’s biggest problem isn’t its candidates. It’s the ideological bloodlust of its base.
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This one is a must-see Kevin Smith film!
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Kevin Smith's "Red State" to Screen Nationwide in One-Night Simulcast
Oh, that zany Kevin Smith. Here's the latest turn in the release-strategy roller coaster ride that is
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Our use of media to communicate is complicated.
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Our Media, Ourselves: Are We Headed For A Matrix? : NPR
We're streaming our video, downloading our books and doing away with the hard copies that used to help communicate our personalities to one another. Bob Mondello points to a surprisingly early vision …
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Inside the world of ghostwriters…
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Boo! Ghostwriting Grows In Age Of ‘Book As Badge’
The craft of ghostwriting is a dark art of sorts, replete with secrecy and scandal. But lately, it’s also becoming a booming business.
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This week I provided coaching over the phone to a Baltimore area businessman who produced his own business website and then discovered that it had suddenly crashed. Attempting a "do it yourself business website" is a serious risk that can tarnish your brand.
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Coach Woody Goulart » Blog Archive » Danger in Do It Yourself Business Websites » Coach Woody Goulart
Woody Goulart offers professional coaching service: business coaching for senior executives, coaching for strategic communications, and website coaching.
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Both devices easily connect through my wifi network to my MacBook Pro. AirDroid is a marvelous app that I think you will love.
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AirDroid-Enjoy your Android Experience over the air
AirDroid is a fast ,free app that lets you wirelessly manage&control your Android Device from a web browser Over-The-Air.
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Vote for your favorite…
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Bottom Line – Vote for your favorite Super Bowl ad
There's no question that the Giants and the Patriots played some exciting football tonight, but what about the ads?
Did you like the nostalgia of seeing Jerry Seinfeld's and the Soup Nazi's return, a…
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The Dog Strikes Back — Hilarious Superbowl commercial from VW
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