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Her Campus / Lauren Smyth
Career

I DID A THING: Is It Unrealistic To Want To Be A Journalist? Am I Making A HUGE Career Mistake?

I Did A Thing is our weekly advice column where the Her Campus editorial team helps you out when you ruin your own life (hey, we’ve been there). Email advice@hercampus.com for any and everything you need help with. We’ll answer you (anonymously!) on hercampus.com so we can all learn, together. We’ve got your back.

@bigdreamer: Whenever I think about my future, I think about working in media. But every time I talk about it, it seems like such an unrealistic dream. Is it even possible for me to get there, and work for a magazine or a news station? Or should I just give up? Especially when I think about what a struggle it is to be a woman in media, I feel like maybe I should just give up.

@AlisynCamerota: YES, your future dream of working in the media is highly possible!  You’re right, being a woman in the media can be a struggle some days. But it’s also rewarding, stimulating, fulfilling and valuable.

I believe a career in media is well worth the challenges. Being a journalist requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice, so you must make sure you love it. There will be long days, tough assignments and (at first at least) not much money.

But if you get an adrenaline rush from trying to get the facts and find the truth and tell people’s stories, it’s the best job in the world.

Check out more advice from @helpmehc. We’ve got your back. Learn more about today’s guest columnist, Alisyn Camerota, here. 

Rachel is the Senior Editor at Her Campus. She graduated from Elon University in 2015 where she wrote for Her Campus's Elon chapter as well as the national LGBTQ+ section, and has since held editorial positions at Hello Giggles and Brit + Co along with running social media for several publishers. Her work has been published in Teen Vogue, Glamour, StyleCaster, and SELF, and she can be found in North Carolina smearing face masks on in the name of content. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @RachelCharleneL.