Words from the wise

In today's world, journalism is considered a dying field. Newspapers are minimizing their staffs, publications are shutting down, and it's very difficult to regulate quality media content in this digitally saturated society. People don't want to pay for news, though they still want information.

Considering this reality, it's easy to shy away from a career in news writing or legacy media because of the uncertainty of the field. But is it really a lost cause?

Not quite.

I recently sat in on a talk from Rich Moreno, director of content and development at Central Washington University's Office of Public Affairs, that changed my entire perspective on this issue. Though he works in PR now, that wasn't always the case.

In theory, the expectation is once we graduate from college, we will land a job in the field we studied and that's what we will do for the rest of our lives. We may bounce around between a job or two, but for the most part we expect to do the same type of work, forever.

Rarely does this work out. You're most likely not going to work at one job for your entire career. Moreno explained, "That's not scary. It's just reality." You're going to move around and find different paths along the way; the best way to prepare yourself for this is to be versatile and willing to learn.

He told us about his life and described how his background is in journalism, even though he now works in PR. Rich Moreno is a man of many hats as he also has experience in newspaper editing, political science, and teaching. Each of these areas prepared him for the next, which is something that I thought was very interesting. He explained that PR people often have backgrounds in journalism, broadcasting, and media fields and that having a wide range of experiences only makes you a better writer.

"It's not enough that you know how to write stories," said Moreno. You have to have skills in multiple areas, like web design, photography, coding, graphic design, and responsible writing- to name a few. Some of the best advice that he gave is to read as much as you can. He explained, "The only way you become a better writer is to read and read good writing." Don't just read, but practice your writing, too. Keep a journal, manage a blog, try fiction and non-fiction. Basically, if you want to get better, challenge yourself.

Rich Moreno said something that really resonated with me, to the point where I haven't been able to forget. He said, "Ride that wave wherever it takes you." I'm someone who isn't completely sure what I want to do after graduation. I chose this degree in PR, but is that really what I want to do forever? If there's one thing that I took away from this experience, it's that it's okay not to know and it's okay to stray off the path. The best you can do is learn as much as you can along the way and make a career out of doing what you love, which for me is writing.