Last night I attended a workshop run by RMIT University’s Magazine “Catalyst” where two experienced yet young journalists spoke about their careers in the media industry so far. Hearing how they broke into internships,experience and consequently jobs was a refreshing and reassuring booster after hearing the weekly “Ohhhhh…. you want to be a journalist,that’s a turbulent industry, you’ll never get employed, blah blah blahhhdy blahhhh” speech from a plethora of those around me.

How I was feeling before last night’s workshop

Rachel Baxendale, a journalist from The Australian and Myrian Robin, the media reporter from Crikey  gave valuable insights into the exciting yet intimidating world of media writing.

Their suggestions for us can be easily categorised:

– Twitter is a godsend to journalists and media professionals alike

– Do not underestimate the power of networking

– or the power of good manners

– Be careful what you write in the public sphere, as Myriam stated “You never know who your boss might be in the     future”

– A phone is your most precious sidekick

– Do not rely on the news cycle for your topics of writing

– Any experience is good experience

– “Get your name out there”

However, the main point which especially resonated with me was their advice on the importance of being a versatile and adaptable person in such a multi-platform, fast-paced industry.

The question which many of us as young media professionals share is that, in an ever-changing environment dominated by technology developments, how do we stay on top of the latest gadgets, protocols or expectations, which are moving faster than we can scroll through our Instagram feed (and you should see me.) After pondering this repeatedly, I have done my best to answer this, using both women’s advice.

Essentially, it is physically and mentally impossible to keep up with it all. We no longer simply have to learn the ins and outs of the newsroom alone, but rather be familiar with every public platform we can poke a stick at. From what I can gather, the answer to this common fear is that we must come to terms with the fact that our careers will involve much less time being an expert in our chosen field and vastly more time chasing our tails in an attempt to keep up with technologies which are being created outside of our immediate industry.

My fellow aspiring Journos, the need to be at peace with the fact that our roles,mediums we work in or relevance may oscillate monthly or yearly is simply another part of the job.

So we better get our heads around it sooner rather than later.