I’m not sold yet. Personally, I think there’s something to say for adapting old-style journalism into a new age–one which is still figuring itself out.

But it’s good to know what’s out there in case my mind changes. For those of you asking yourself these same questions, it may be helpful to watch the videos and read the comments on the post. Then come back and tell us what you think about American University and journalism school in general. I need guidance…

Journalism school is a fuzzy situation today. Flickr photo by moohappy.

As an aspiring journalist, I often ask myself, should I go to journalism school? In fact, I’m thinking about taking the GRE in September and applying to a few schools this fall. But in today’s emerging field, the question deserves some thought before we all go rushing for more student debt to study a profession that’s in a state of disarray. I’ll admit that since graduating from college, part of me has longed to re-embrace life as a college kid, delve back into the buzz of campus life and study something that really interests me rather than a broad interdisciplinary major that doesn’t lead directly to any thing (I majored in Human Development. What’s that right?) But nostalgia aside, I also know that since I didn’t major in journalism, I could probably use some training in things like long-form magazine writing or to build skills in web, video, and television which I’m currently lacking. But couldn’t I also learn these things on the job? I’ve only had my Spot.us internship for a little over a month and I’m already hosting a radio show with no prior experience…

I’ve heard good arguments on both sides of the spectrum. J School advocates boast that journalism school will teach you needed skills to preserve quality journalism and hook you up with connections for a job that’s still in many ways an insider’s game. On the other hand, journalism is unique in that it doesn’t require a graduate degree. It’s more about proving that you can handle the stress, ask probing questions and deliver–on deadline.

Some of the best advice I’ve received on the subject was from a former co-worker at the UCSD Guardian and kick ass reporter, Ian Port, who went straight to working at a daily newspaper after graduation:

“…Working at the Daily Post isn’t my dream job. I’m still not sure what is. But I’m learning. And that’s one thing I think a lot of people forget about journalism, especially in this age, where you can buy a degree that says you’re qualified to do anything: if you haven’t done it for real, on deadline, with real people calling to bitch at you when you fuck something up, and a real editor breathing down your neck for that one piece of information you forgot to ask for, then your training wheels are still on. Nothing wrong with that. But there’s a fucking lot to learn, and you won’t even be able to fathom how much until you get out there and start doing it.