Name Thomas Felle

Journalism is not for those of you who want a 9 to 5 job with the weekends off, who want to have relationships, a family and want to make a lot of money.

While it is relatively well paid, one will never be rich working for a newspaper or broadcaster. What you will be, however, is satisfied.

It is the kind of job where the you can enjoy getting out of bed in the morning, donıt mind working the graveyard shifts, and will always volunteer to stay late at the office to ensure your stories are finished. The golden rule is the show must go on. Itıs a whole lot more fun if you are part of the show.

Eoghan Corry, former Features Editor of the Irish Press once said that journalism is about pissing people off. In many ways it is. Journalists act as the fourth estate, uncover corruption, report wrong doing, investigate sharp practice, fraud and injustices in the public interest. The best journalists have brought down governments, have forced the retirements of judges and chief executives, have led to the imprisonment of criminals and have been willing to go to jail themselves to protect their sources. It is an all demanding, all consuming and all powerful profession. Journalism is the only gate between the public and the truth: Journalists hold the key.

It is not for everybody, however, and if it is not something you spend your life thinking about, then it isnıt for you. It is also a very social profession, and a good personality and an ability to communicate well with people is essential, as is a stamina for late nights.

The hours are long, and more often that not the thanks little. In journalism, your reputation is everything. Without it, you are nothing. That is why, once you have qualified and are looking for work, the more work you have under your belt the easier it is to get shifts in newspapers or get features published in magazines.

While in school, it might be an idea to try and get involved in the school paper - itıs not The Irish Times (www.ireland.com) but it will give you a grounding in the basics, and may give you a taste for the real thing.

There is no point even trying to get pieces published until you have at least one year done at a third level journalism training college, of which there are quite a few. In order to get something published, you need to be a member of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) (www.indogo.ie/nujdub). You canıt join the union until you are in a journalism course.

There are two main centres for journalism study: DIT (www.dit.ie) and DCU (www.dcu.ie). The Dublin Institute of Technology Œs Aungier Street site is where the course is taught and is were I study. It was once part of the Rathmines College of Commerce, and the Rathmines School of Journalism was the first journalism training school in the country. Many of Irelandıs top journalists and broadcasters including RTEıs (www.rte.ie) Bryan Dobson and Des Cahill, the Irish Independentıs (www.independent.ie) Miriam Lord, the Guardianıs (www.guardian.co.uk) Maggie OıKane, and the Examinerıs (www.examiner.ie) Carl OıBrien all trained at Rathmines. The course is now called the DIT School of Journalism, though it is still often referred to as Rathmines.

There, the course is four years long, and the Institute awards a B.Sc. Communications (Journalism) upon completion. First year includes basic journalism training, as well as practical subjects including politics, shorthand, typing and grammer and radio. More theoretical subjects including communication theory, media analysis, contemporary journalism issues and languages are also taught.

There is a strong emphasis on practical work and students are sent on assignment to the courts, council meetings, book launches as well as interviews, and chasing general news stories.

Second and third year are continuations of the training, and students produce an local newspaper called the Liberty, (homepage.eircom.net/~tfelle/liberty) and a student paper called the DIT Independent (www.flunk.net). Television is also taught.

Fourth year is more analytical, and investigative journalism is explored with students being expected to produce a major journalism project as part of the their final mark. They are also expected to write a minor dissertation on a chosen topic.

Points for the course are about 450, but vary depending on the year.

DCUıs journalism course is fairly similar, though I have not done it myself, obviously. Points are a little higher, at about 470, and students must study a European language and go on a European placement. Both are options at DIT.

There are a number or other courses available at undergraduate level, but most are not recognised as being of a high enough standard. There are also post graduate courses available at UCG (www.ucg.ie), DCU and DIT. All are one year courses, and are intensive practical courses. An Arts degree is a good way to get in to one.

The course at DIT is not difficult. Obviously, it is a degree and you are expected to hand in work and essays on time. Deadlines are an absolute must in journalism, this is something you will learn on day one. The course is aimed solely at young people wanting to make a career in professional journalism, so if you think you might like to do a bit of writing on a Saturday, this is not the course for you. Unlike Arts, you would find it very difficult to stay in the course if you didnıt like it, as much of the course work is based solely on journalism. Those who do not like it usually do not last the first year.

Jobs are available, though you have to earn them. Most journalism students do not work part time in college, instead we earn our living from Œfreelancingı - a term used to describe occasional work for magazines or newspapers. It pays quite well and is much more fun than working in McDonalds for £4 an hour.

You can expect to get paid about £10 per hundred words for work. News and sports stories are usually about 300 to 500 words, and features are usually upwards of 1,000 words. Thatıs a rate negotiated by the union, and as members, we are entitled to get paid for our work.

Advice: If you are deciding on subjects for Leaving Cert, a science, a language, a business and history. A good mix of subjects is always a good bet, as journalists are expected to know a lot about everything. History is important because it gives a good grounding in historical events, something journalists should know. English is obviously very important, and if you are no good at is, then a career in journalism is probably not for you.

An interest in current affairs as well as politics is essential. If sports is you thing, you need to have an overwhelming passion for it to make it to the top. Specialist subjects like science, the Arts or music always give a competitive edge on rivals for work.

To do the course, you will need a shorthand notebook and a hat to put you press card in to (joking. Although, youıd be surprised the amount of us that have one!). Seriously, books are not really required, but some are recommended. Most are available in the library on loan, so the costs are terribly high.

Once in the course, a mobile phone will come in very handy. If you are buying a computer, buy a laptop. They are portable and are a better buy in the long run. Apple Mac (www.apple.com/uk) is the industry standard, though it doesnıt really matter. Their Ibook retails at about £1,500. If you donıt have one or canıt afford one, donıt worry. You probably wonıt need it until about third year.

Email is essential, as is Internet access. Both are provided at college, but you should really have your own access by the time you are in third year. A camera is handy, though not essential. If you are interested in photography, youıll probably already have one. If you want to buy one, put it on the Christmas presents list ( an SLR is most advisable, the £7 disposables really donıt make the grade). The rest youıll learn as you go along.

Name: Colette Duffy