Am I being realistic?

[jhawk]

Hi all,

I'd like to know if I'm being realistic here...

I'm a young graduated student from a Canadian high school. I have as of yet, no idea what I want to do with my life.

Having spoken to my father, he helped me make a decision, sort of. I've decided that I'd love to be a freelance journalist/travel-writer. Touring the world on my bike and writing about my adventures, either for local newspapers, or writing my own books once the travelling/adventure has finished!

I've got a lot of friends in University, and all of my old teachers tell me that I'm, "too smart" not to be in University. And I did think about going to University - Canada offers a programme where your University education is subsidized completely by the Canadian Armed Forces, in return for service. Not a bad deal. That's the plan that I had.

But, then I realised that I'm not getting any younger and it will be about 13+ months before I can even begin the application process for the Canadian Armed Forces - as I've got to complete my immigration here and then apply for Canadian citizenship.

And so, I'm planning on travelling. But, I think that I might be able to make a living out of travel-writing. The trouble is - a lot of people have told me that in order to get a job in the journalistic field, you'd need a University degree.

Personally, I think that University is overrated, and that who knows what the economy/job market will be like in four years? Will I be able to get that job - even with my brand new, shiny University degree certification. Or would the employee rather hire someone whose visited a number of the world's countries, is a (hopefully) published author and has some experience travelling.

What do you all think? Is a University degree a complete necessity? Or can I realistically make a living out of my plans to be a travel-writer?

Thanks,

Jack.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I'd like to know if I'm being realistic here...
Or can I realistically make a living out of my plans to be a travel-writer?

No & No

Alan...

 

[slowmotion]

Go to University. It still counts to some people. Then travel, nobody will hold it against you afterwards.

Good luck.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Being a freelance.... almost anything, is a difficult thing to be unless you happen to be very good, carve out your own little niche or get lucky/be in the right place at the right time/happen to know the right people. There generally is so much competition out there that you need to be utterly dedicated to getting your work out there (as unlike being employed by someone, nobody will do it for you) and be prepared to have lots of knockbacks, either rightly or wrongly from people along the way.

I'd go to Uni, it wont do you any harm and who knows, you might discover something else you want to do instead! Up until you can go though, travel (or alternatively get a job and save up some money to do things in the future) and see if your writing really is as good as you think by asking people and seeing where you can improve on things! By the time you leave Uni you and your work will probably have matured more than you probably realise.

 

[Hill Wimp]

Go to Uni, your degree is in your back pocket then and you can still do your travelling after. It's only a short time that you are there in reality.

 

[screenman]

Sorry but if you need help from your Dad to make a decision then you are not ready for the big wide world, go uni and aim high.

 

[biggs682]

go traveling and try doing the journo bit as you go , we would all club together on here to give you a point for every post you do telling us about the journey

a bit of paper can be worthless

 

[vernon]

Hi all,
I'd like to know if I'm being realistic here...

Touring the world on your bike is a grand idea but without an income to support the pan global adventure you will have your wings clipped very quickly. Producing prose that appeals to publishers enough to pay you for it will require a lot of hard sell and some literary talent.

Your "I realised that I'm not getting any younger" made me laugh. Welcome to reality. None of us are getting any younger and to hear someone with possibly 80% of his/her life left moan about dwindling life chance opportunities is hilarious.

FWIW, I have been teaching for around thirty years and have observed the career development of thousands of young hopefuls in a whole range of careers. Some naively expressed ambitions: "I can't decide between being an astronaut or a carpenter" or, a child on being told that it was unrealistically ambitious to want to be a doctor replying "That's OK, I'll be a surgeon then" are alarming and illustrate the ignorance of a lot of youngsters about what exactly is involved in getting to their career objectives. Many ignore the qualifications hurdle and blunder on expecting doors to open purely on the strength of their ambition - it rarely works that way.

FWIW - of all the youngsters that I have taught and who have expressed an ambition to enter the writer/journalist field to make a living, only one has been successful at gaining employment and that was after doing a journalism degree, doing some unpaid intern work, doing some low paid mundane reporting and has only just started seeing his name appearing besides the articles that he's written for newspapers and magazines. I have had a chat with him recently when he came into school to talk to one of the media studies classes and I asked him about career prospects in journalism, I have a daughter doing a creative writing degree who is thinking about journalism, and his response didn't fill me with optimism. The market is crowded and talent, real or perceived, is not enough to guarantee an income. A degree is more or less essential and a bucketful of luck is more likely to get you on the first rung of the ladder once you have your degree.

Getting back to your assertions:

'Universities are overrated' - you are in a minority with this one
'I think that I might be able to make a living out of travel writing' - has anyone published your writing? Has anyone in the publishing world seen it and praised it? Is your self evaluation - accurate and realistic.

I don't want to rain on your parade but I really do think that you need to re-evaluate your ambitions and select an appropriate degree course to get you there.

 

[asterix]

in return for service

If you join the armed forces - apparently to fund your education - do you know what that would involve?

 

[Spinney]

If you decide on the Uni route, it sounds as if you have a year gap - lots of folks go travelling in their gap year - if you have the money, do this. Write an on-line blog, to showcase your writing. But you'll need to do something different, there are lots of blogs out there already about 'my cycle round the world'.

 

[PocketFrog]

If you join the armed forces - apparently to fund your education - do you know what that would involve?

It's the Canadian armed forces so it'd be a year of good-mannered apologies and 2 of maple syrup mining.

 

[Noodley]

I suppose it depends if you are making an economic decision or a decision based on life being there for having fun/doing what you think is right. Sometimes if you approach things from the latter perspective then things work out a lot better. Too much attention is now paid to economic decision-making - education is now mostly based around economic considerations; probably has been for a long while, rather than based around instilling values and giving a positive perspective on life.

 

[ScotiaLass]

Employers can be choosy these days (and are!) so IMO a degree is almost a necessity.

Having gone back to 'school' at the grand old age of 46 (after being medically discharged from my nursing career) and completing 3 years, gaining an HND in the process (one year short of a full degree) I can say it wasn't easy, financially or otherwise!
Get a degree now, while you're young. Once you have that you can look for a job in journalism or whatever, and who knows where that may lead!

Good Luck with whatever you decide.

 

[rich p]

Everyone and anyone thinks they can write these days. The competition has grown exponentially with the internet too.
I'd say that going to uni reluctantly wouldn't be a good choice either.
Take a year out to grow up and make some better informed choices.

 

[HorTs]

My wife looked into journalism and everywhere required university education.

It's not just what you would learn, it shows prespective employers that you're serious.