I'm using my history degree as a reporter for The Roanoke Times , in Roanoke Virginia, a job I was lucky to find before I graduated in December 1998. I knew from my first day at Creighton that I wanted to be a print journalist, and having that focus was instrumental in helping me to find a job out of college. I was also a journalism major, but I chose to study history too because media employers like to find people with a broad background in research and interpretation. History classes taught me to be highly critical of your sources, ask lots of questions and be constantly wary of how my own opinions are affecting your interpretations of events. Having a knowledge of history can add depth to news coverage and has helped me gain rapport with sources.
Reporters have to be attentive to detail, able to work on deadline and find their own work.
The journalism job market is highly competitive. If you want to be a reporter, I recommend working for the school newspaper and doing lots of internships. If you don't have experience, you'll have a hard time finding a job. You should also strive for perfection in the classroom, because once your work is published, that's what readers will expect. Education was not my primary objective upon graduation, but still, I have spent the last two years as a volunteer teacher.