My experience in the JMC program

Before entering the journalism and mass communications program, I had an overly-confident impression of my writing; teachers would dote on my essays, praise my diction and generously contribute to the swelling of my ego. But once I entered the University of Northern Colorado, all that self-confidence was ruthlessly demolished by a 400-page manual called the AP Stylebook. Never in my life had I been so submerged in a pool of esoteric (and sometimes arbitrary) rules and regulations. And to be quite honest, after getting back my first few JMC 210 articles covered in red ink, I considered switching my major to English. Thank God I didn’t.

I stuck it out, buckled down and utilized the resources that were available to me at the university. With the help of professors, professional journalists and The Mirror, I began to hone my skills as a writer, and I eventually regained my confidence. Once my self-assurance was reestablished, I actually began to enjoy the art of journalism and became slightly addicted to the marathon of paraphrasing, fact checking and AP style referencing.

When I first stepped into the program, I honestly didn’t expect to learn anything. I expected to receive the same affirmations that I was so accustomed to in high school and figured journalism would be a cakewalk. I was wrong. My instructors didn’t coddle me; they unapologetically corrected my errors and provided advice to improve my style. And although it required a lot of hard work and humility, I ultimately became a better journalist.

Now that I’ve completed the capstone course for my news-editorial major, I feel as though I’m prepared to enter the field of journalism. In JMC410, I was given the opportunity to cover a beat of my choice — the local music scene —, and because of that, I put a lot of work into each article, not only to get a good grade, but because I was genuinely excited and interested in the topic. If I had any doubt of making journalism my career, it was quickly abandoned within the first beat assignment. Just the idea of getting paid to learn new things that interest you and being able to share them with the world is incredible. When one looks at it in that perspective, the field of journalism is a great gig. I would encourage anyone who has an interest in this field to pursue it full heartedly. I’d advise them to not become discouraged, to not settle of mediocrity, and above all, to make use of the knowledge of professionals by either going the extra mile in class or gaining experience within the field.