Inspiration from the experiences of others matters

Under the curriculum, a journalism course is provided for four classes. The youngsters are taught basic journalism techniques and at the end they are be required to write investigative stories. 

Upon receiving the invitation to share with them my experiences, I was perplexed with what I should say to them. I assumed that at their teenage level, they should need only basic information about my job. 

I was wrong. A day before the talk, I received a long list of questions in advance. Some involved the process of newspaper production and the reason why I became a journalist – but others were related to current situations which indicated the youngsters’ enthusiasm for newsgathering. 

Just consider these:

How many stories do you usually discard in order to only have one story in your column? 

What are some reasons you would cancel a story from going public?

Are there many challenges in the work of being a journalist? If so, what are they?

Do you think that journalism is biased? (Picking one side of the story, only reporting on some events rather than others, etc.)

Does anyone ever consider your questions an attack on their privacy and personal life? If so, how many people have confronted you about it? 

Out of 10 possible news stories, about how many would you actually get published in the paper?

What rules must journalists follow when publishing to avoid possible legal action? What steps do you have to do once someone accuses you of slander/libel?

Has being a journalist changed your views or opinions on things such as religion, law, history, etc? 

In your opinion, how has the quality of journalism changed in the past 30 years?

Your opinion piece refers to several pieces of literature. How often do you read outside of your work requirements, and how does independent reading help you in your job? 

Particularly, I liked the last two questions, as they showed that the students did some research about me and my writing before raising the questions – a very basic requirement for all journalists. 

After the hour-long talk, some looked bored while others still showed interest.

However, I was pleased that I could spread some light to the youngsters on what being a journalist was really like, something that I learned only after I took up the career.

Would it be worthwhile for people from different professions to be regular guests in classrooms? 

I believe it would be. Guest speakers might inspire some to pursue careers they fancied and encourage them to prepare themselves for that career. The experiences they related would also indicate if the jobs were the dream occupations these students imagined.

I happen to know one girl who was good at mathematics and English. Resolving to become an accountant, she achieved a place in the faculty of accounting at a famous university. She graduated with good grades and was welcomed to a big accounting firms. Sadly, real work experience wore her down. She discovered that being an accountant was not her dream job. She wouldn’t have wasted four years if she’d known what being an accountant entailed and learned about their real-life work experiences. 

During my time at university, I met few people from the business world. Majoring in English, I was taught all about English skills and some courses prepared us for a number of professions. In a course “English for hotel business”, we learned about key words used in the airline industry just in case we needed to book air tickets for hotel guests.

We were also required to spend two weeks as trainees. While some of my friends tended the front desk,I joined housekeeping. I learned how tough it was to ensure tidiness and cleanliness in every inch of a hotel room. 

At MBA courses, you can expect to meet guest speakers honoured for their business success. It would be useful if this could be imitated at lower levels. In the era when new professions keep emerging, our students should be given a chance to broaden their perspectives and to be inspired by others. 

Meeting people stimulates me as a journalist. Just as I hoped that I inspired the students at the international school, their attention also inspired me in return.

 

ACHARA DEBOONME

[email protected]