
By Brianna Bush and Katherine Fernandez
In a modern age of journalism, having a degree from a four-year institution does not necessarily put anyone ahead in the field — experience and skill-set outweigh a college degree when looked at by a media organization.

The College at Brockport is a hands-on institution that has student-run media outlets that allow students to get involved and provides multiple platforms for students to have their work published. The experience that organizations like Talon Television, 89.1 The Point and The Stylus give students opportunity to go into the field and cover stories and gain the “know-how.”

The journalism department at Brockport offers the first step in getting involved, but it is not the only thing that students should rely on. Journalism professor and internship coordinator Kimberly Young Ph.D. explained the importance of getting involved in on-campus organizations and obtaining an internship.
“When I was an undergrad at [SUNY] Oswego in the 80s, I knew how important internships were because I had a wonderful professor — Dr. O’Donnell — who said, ‘you’ve got to do internships. You want to work in this business, you better get out there,’” Young explained. “So I joined every club on campus I wrote for the Oswegonian and I worked at TOP TV. I worked at the radio station, I did everything on campus.”
According to Young, employers are looking to see if incoming applicants have interned at least two places — employers no longer focus on degrees or GPA, and as the internship coordinator Young assist students in getting their footing.
Young also advises that students don’t take internships that have them fetching coffee, she wants students to be in the field expanding their skill-set. She takes it upon herself to go out of the way to get more opportunities for journalism students.
“I’ve been traveling to all these places, trying to open up new opportunities for our students beyond just the typical [internships] in Rochester,” Young said. “I’m traveling to Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica and Elmira meeting with people and talking about our students and how good they are.”
Young explained that a lot of students shy away from internships because of the distance, and many students do not have the means to travel outside of Brockport for internships.
“There are just so many opportunities for all of you to gain really valuable experience,” Young explained. “The hardest thing I think for many students is transportation. If you don’t have a car, you are at a huge disadvantage for an internship.”
That puts emphasis on getting involved in the student run organizations. All three media outlets provide students a way to get their work published, and give them a taste at the process that goes into producing, airing and publishing.
The Point has reporters that go out into the field to cover events and allows students to learn how to use equipment and techniques for interviewing sources. For those who want to go into the radio field, it provides the first step students need to take.
The Stylus offers students a platform to get their writing published in an award-winning newspaper. It also offers a hands-on reporting, as well as the feel of how a newsroom functions.
Although Brockport boasts several notable alumni who have found success in their journalism careers, many students still feel underprepared. Carson Werner formerly held a position as Sports Editor of The Stylus and currently writes for local sports publication Pickin’ Splinters. Despite an extensive list of accomplishments, including an award given to him by the Associated Collegiate Press, he remains apprehensive about what his future in journalism will look like.
“The journalism job market honestly terrifies me,” Werner said. “I have been involved with sports writing for almost 2 years now and I still have no idea where all of the experience I’ve acquired will take me. Like all of the professors at Brockport have been saying, the field is changing fast and old journalists have to adapt to new techniques. I’m afraid that once I find a job and enter the field full time, I’ll be just as lost as I was when I came to Brockport. Hopefully, my time at The Stylus and Pickin’ Splinters will pay off and find me a job similar to what I’ve done for the two publications.”
Talon TV puts in hours of work throughout the week — people involved have set schedules for filming, editing and other work that goes into the process of creating a TV show. Talon provides an environment that gives students a plethora of jobs, each member works together on all the work needed to get done.
Kayla Green is a recent graduate of The College at Brockport and has found major success in the field both during her years in school and after. With experience at Talon TV and The Stylus as well as internships at WIVB-TV in Buffalo and CNN, she was able to launch her career as a news reporter at WROC-TV News 8 soon after she graduated. Despite this, her job search was a daunting experience and the application process was far from a one-and-done situation.
“I’ll tell you this, when I applied to News 8 it said you needed 2–3 years on-air experience and live shot experience,” Green wrote. “I had neither. But when I applied for that job, I was so passionate and I pushed them HARD. I shared my wide range of experiences, and even sent things I’d worked on after they interviewed me. Never feel like you’re being annoying be selling yourself.”
Green was persistent in her pursuit of a position at News 8. It was not until she was offered a position at a competing news outlet that WROC realized they could not let a potential star player slip through their fingers.
“I told them I had another offer I had to respond to by the next day,” Green wrote. “Guess what? They offered me the job an hour before I had to respond to Elmira.”
It is easy to get caught up in the stress and anxiety that comes with post-graduate job hunting. Remaining positive and resilient in the face of rejection is easier said than done but it is key to landing the job that you want. Consider other ways to continue resume building, such as blogging or freelancing.
“Never, ever give up. I got lots of no’s too,” Green wrote. “For both of those offers, I got double the amount of ‘not qualified’ emails. But that’s not what I remember. I remember how I felt when I got the job I really wanted, and how much I love it to this day. Keep in mind it might take you time to find a job after graduation and that’s normal. Take all the opportunities you can in the meantime, freelance work, side writing/video jobs, anything to keep adding to your resume. If you keep at it, the right job will come to you.”
Journalism students need to think of the future while still in school, and one thing is for certain — every student is different and the paths they take will determine the outcome of their future.