Viewing Thread:
"Choose my future"

I'm not one to seek advice from strangers but I really need some help making up my mind here.

I'm not sure what course to do at university - I can take one of two routes, which are:

1. Journalism

2. Creative writing / Script writing

I feel more inclined towards the second category as I feel I woudld enjoy it more, though I think it is probably a harder area to get into and harder to find work in, whilst journalism can apply to papers, magazines and e-zines, all which pay decent wages.

I know everything isnt about money, though I'd like to have the security of knowing a job would be easily availible.

Give me some advice, please.

*Jumps out from behind bush*
Damn man, have a shave.

Also, what are you doing here at this time?

What are you, following me around tonight or what?

Mr Snuggly wrote:
> Creative writing is for homos and ladyboys.

Yeah, and you can’t compete with them.

Paradox: wrote:
> "Journalism and Print Media" sounds fairly good and
> suitable-ish

Do that, that's what I'm doing, and I rule - I work for the UK's 'biggest' games company.

A course in journalism, at least a good one, should set you up with everything you need to break into the writing industry. Creative writing is for homos and ladyboys.

FinalFantasyFanatic wrote:
> Journalism full time.
> Writing spare time.

Seconded.

Journalism - writing articles, persuasive pieces, exciting accounts, etc - can actually be very creative and good fun.

Journalism full time.
Writing spare time.

the sagacious one wrote:
> My advice; get a qualification which will lead to a job that is a
> doss, then pen that best seller at work whilst having the security of
> a regular income.

Thanks a lot, thats the most down to earth advice I've had.

In most author's blurb inside their books it usually mentions that they have a degree in English Lit. I've never seen one that mentions that they took a course in creative writing. However many journalists have become successful authors; perhaps because they get paid to write for a living, they observe human nature and pick up many ideas, they have time to write a book whilst "working" like one journo who said that after Maxwell purchased the Mirror Group (I think it was him or Rupert Murdoch- I can't remember) he took on more journalists and the desk team ended up with 5 paragraphs a day to write between 8 people. Thus he wrote a book whilst at work, in order to appear busy and because he could.

My advice; get a qualification which will lead to a job that is a doss, then pen that best seller at work whilst having the security of a regular income.

If you plod through the thread you'll see my spontaneous change of heart.

Creative Writing is a hobby, not a realistic career.

Journalism with/and published media are what I need to get my teeth into.

Can't you do a course which is a little from column A and a little from column B?

Choose the creative writing, for instance, but also do an optional, shorter course in journalism - or vice-versa?