Some people believe that developing skills in some area is something miraculous, and they wonder how people become successful. However, like any task, it is possible to divide the development of skills into several steps. To become a professional journalist, a person must be smart and enthusiastic, get used to constant learning, practice, and never forget about rest.
The word expert means a person whose professional skills are developed to the extent which can allow this person to achieve success in his or her field. An expert in journalism is a person who knows a lot about the society and the world; this person’s knowledge lets him or her notice the links between various events and present them in an objective manner; such an expert is a person who works hard on a daily basis and never stops learning something new.
To do best means not only to have certain skills in a particular sphere but also to be able to use these skills. For example, a person can have good analytical skills, but it does not mean that this person is aware of how to use them. To do best in journalism, a person must practice. This field requires a journalist to make many efforts to improve all his or her skills in order to do best.
First of all, it is crucial to make sure that a person has an interest in becoming a journalist. In any field, if a person wants to become successful, this person must be enthusiastic about his or her occupation. Otherwise, this occupation would turn into a burden instead of becoming an opportunity to achieve something. In the field of journalism, enthusiasm is not a compound, but it is a background. In other words, without being interested in this particular field, it is no use wasting the time. Therefore, it is significant to let the future journalist know that if he or she is willing to succeed in this area, then having enough enthusiasm is a must.
A person can become a good journalist if he or she has appropriate skills. Thus, before teaching someone how to become a journalist, it is important to find out whether this person has these skills. Clearly, it is possible to gain certain skills, but some of them are more like a gift than something that a person can learn. For example, not all people are able to convey their thoughts in a clear and concise manner, and a journalist must do it all the time. Otherwise, his or her article will lack sense; the illogical line of thought can also lead to the distortion of facts, which is inappropriate for a journalist. To become a professional journalist, a person must already have knowledge in various spheres, including history, geography, demography, economics, law, and politics. This knowledge may not be very profound, but it must suffice for a person to make conclusions and analyze facts.
To help a person to become a successful journalist, it is significant to explain to this person that constant learning is one of the major compounds of this profession. Considering that this person already has some knowledge in many fields, now this person’s task is to expand this knowledge every day. To become a journalist, a person must be familiar with the world events and problems, so he or she should read and watch the news every day. While reading the news articles, this person should try to understand why something has happened, and which consequences it may have. Learning how to analyze facts and decide whether they are valid will be helpful when this person starts gathering the information for his or her news articles. Another reason for reading the news every day is that this activity can help a person to make his or her vocabulary more copious, which is rather essential for a professional journalist. While reading articles, a person can also learn how other journalists work. For example, a future journalist can notice that if a topic is not widely-known, then it is advisable to present some background information about this topic. A person can also notice that if an article contains many words, then journalists tend to divide it into several subtopics. By doing so, they make the reading process become more convenient for the reader. After a while, a future professional will notice that he or she is able to predict or at least suppose what the sequence of events will be like when he or she finds out some news. This ability will be the result of constant learning.
Besides explaining to a future journalist the importance of expanding the knowledge, it is advisable to let him or her know that learning how to rest is significant, as well. A person who is enthusiastic about journalism can fail to draw a line between work and rest. It may happen because such a person can treat his or her job like a hobby, which is not. To be a more effective worker, this person should have the life besides his or her work. A person’s brain needs rest to process the information obtained, and spending free time away from the computer is the best way to ensure it. Another reason for having leisure is that a journalist, despite working with mostly facts, still requires some inspiration. For example, inspiration can help a journalist to choose to discuss a topic which he or she would not normally consider. As a result of this unexpected choice, the material may turn out to be rather fresh and curious. The article that appears as a result of inspiration can be a turning point in a journalist’s career and lead him or her to success. And to the contrary, without inspiration, a journalist will be trapped in regarding similar topics that will stop being engaging for him or her one day and may make this person leave journalism.
Finally, to develop journalistic skills, a person needs time and patience. At first, a person may have a difficulty in writing about certain topics, but the more he or she writes, the easier this process becomes. In a while, a person will learn which topic will be more interesting to the reader; which sources are more reliable; how to organize the content of an article so that everything will seem clear to the audience; how to stay objective; and how to find strength and inspiration to proceed with working as a journalist. The only way to check whether this person knows how to develop his or her journalistic skills is to read his or her articles. Their content can reveal what kind of a professional this person is, and whether he or she is promising as a journalist.
To conclude, a good journalist is a person who understands the events that occur in the world and is interested in sharing this understanding with the audience; this person must be ready to learn much information, use his or her skills in practice, and learn how not to lose inspiration. An expert in journalism must be enthusiastic about this occupation. To become a journalist, a person must be able to think clearly. To make his or her knowledge more profound, this person must already have much knowledge. While striving to achieve success, a journalist should not forget about rest. Only much practice will make a journalist become an expert in the field. Finally, to develop skills in this area, a person must be very dedicated and hard-working.
