J-School Grads Breathe Sigh of Relief… And Search for Jobs

by Botumroath Lebun

Students at the Columbia University School of Journalism say that now they are graduated, they are not only broke, but some add that they were dissatisfied with the education they received at the institution that regards itself as the top-rated journalism program in the country.

Camille Finefrock, who took the Bronx Beat workshop, describes a mixed experience at the school. “Some professors and classes are amazing—they will push you to the limit of what you are capable of. Other classes, however, are a bit of a joke,” she explains. “ I am not convinced that the school really turns students into journalists.”

But the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the school, David Klatell, disagrees. “We turn students into journalists in ten months only if they are already well educated, good writers and have a strong social conscience,” he says. “The vast majority do become journalists, and they carry the lessons learned at Columbia throughout their professional careers.”

Before J-school, Matt Bean, a graduate of the University of Chicago, was a graphic designer. “I think the J-school began as a way for me to escape medicine, and ended up teaching me a great deal.” Bean, 23, is one of the youngest students in the class that graduated on May 16th. “I’m still not sure if it’s worth it,” he says.

According to the admissions office, there were 258 graduating students, 60 percent female and 40 percent male. The average age was 27 and a half; the youngest was 21, the oldest, 60.

Angelica Medaglia says she hasn’t has the time to look for a job during her ten-month ‘boot camp’ training, but she hopes to work for a local newspaper. “I got a little older, wiser, and a lot deeper in debt,” she says.

“After the J-school, I’m looking forward to being unemployed for a long, long time,” says Charles Hawley, who plans to freelance this summer in Munich, Germany.

Nat Ives was skeptical about the $30,000 tuition investment when he left a reporting job for at a real estate trade company for Columbia. Now, he says his experience was a good one. “I learned a lot through practice, close editing and doing assignments I would rather have avoided at the school,” says Ives, a student in Al Gore’s national affairs reporting class. “Unfortunately the job market tanked a few months before graduation, and with a week to go, I have no job.”

Melanie Huff, Director of Career Services, explains that magazines and newspapers have hiring freezes because their ad revenue and stock values are down. “They are saving money by not hiring and/or laying off workers,” she says. “However, the vast majority of our students will have journalism jobs in the next three to six months.”

But while Columbia may not guarantee immediate employment, Dean Klatell points out that Columbia provides opportunities to work with excellent professors. “Our faculty, particularly with the assistance of more than 100 adjunct professors who are full-time journalists, offers an unrivaled wealth of experience and expertise.”

A photojournalism student, Jennifer Pinkowski, says she is happy that the intense training is finally over. “J-school has meant exhaustion, exhilaration and learning that sometimes it’s more than okay to talk to strangers.”

Botumroath Lebun graduated from the
J-School in May. Congratulations!

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