No more journalism school

It has seemed to be a recurring theme since Kate Sheppard spoke in class as well as before, but becoming more prominent, that going to a place of higher education to study journalism is no longer relevant. Instead, it is more important to pick an area of high public interest such as a prominent issue within politics or civil rights and to become an expert on that, while becoming a good writer is more of an add on later or to come after experience is gained. This made me wonder if the 4 years at about $45,000 a year to go to study journalism is indeed irrelevant. I would like to think that if applying for a job, I am more highly considered than someone who has a random nonsense degree with one area of specialty. I feel as though I have learned some things about society that your average person wouldn't become savvy too such as consumer behaviors, the past of the media, where it is going from the prospective of people involved with it. I have gained the views of those that were also educated in journalism along with their insights on how their education has helped them.

I feel it is important to have an area of specialty, however, that doesn't make journalism school irrelevant and no longer needed. There will always be factors that determine what makes things news or what doesn't, society will always have tics and quirks that are worth studying throughout the media. Saying that you only need to be privy to one specialty says that anyone could become a journalist, very similar to citizen journalism. However, with such a broad spectrum of what can make one a journalist or set them apart from one another, subject matters would become over crowded, although in some ways competition may be increased.

It is also brings up the issue of standard journalistic practices and other terms that are thrown around in courts quite frequently. How would one necessarily know or be aware of something (as basic as it may be) as journalistic practices? One cannot be a lawyer without a law degree, yet journalism is much different? Perhaps I am more critical because of my current status as a student of journalism, however, there are many things that if one did not study journalism, they would have to teach themselves on their own, while they can already become an expert in any given area simply by reading much about it; there isn't necessarily much education needed.