Women of Color Living Abroad: The Choice to Live the Life of Travel

Women of Color Living Abroad: The Choice to Live the Life of Travel: The Choice to Live the Life of Travel January 14, 2012— by Cha Jones I was about three month’s old when I took my first trip to Mexi...

Should Foreign Students Major in Journalism?

Should foreign students choose Journalism as a major in American universities? Many native English speakers or foreign students’ parents prefer to tell foreign students do not choose Journalism as a major for many reasons. Or some international students’ parents have chosen a major for their kids before they attend college. As a foreign student, I choose Journalism. As Jeff Bercovici says in  Forget That Survey. Here's Why Journalism Is The Best Job Ever, “You’re always learning… You start out on a new beat or a new story as ignorant as a child, and within a few weeks or months you’re an expert.” Journalists really can learn a lot new knowledge. I tell myself to follow my heart, it will direct me to a right way.

          I was worried my English was not as good as native English speakers and could not write as good as English speakers. Many foreign students prefer to choose engineering, science or business because these majors do not need a high level English, and some engineering, such as computer compilers can get a very high payment in the US, but Journalism needs a high level English. Another reason why most foreign students do not choose Journalism major, it is because English speakers may not want to hire a foreign writers writing in English and local companies may prefer to hire English speaker.

          I know I am not the best media writer, but I am trying to become a better media writer because I like writing. I cannot write perfectly in English as a good native English writer, but I never stop working hard on writing in English. I like it, so I know I can do it.

          As foreign students, we definitely have different cultural background from American cultures, such as idioms, faiths and lifestyles. A journalist needs to write something base on the cultures. For example, maybe a foreigner even cannot understand immediately when English speakers quote a sentence from a TV show which everyone watches it.

          I like researching cultural diversities. When I lived in a homestay overseas, I was surprised how much cultural knowledge I learned. Being a journalist is the same. If I was a journalist, I could travel to many new places so I would have opportunities to research cultural diversities personally and directly.

          Even though Journalism is a hard work, and sometimes a journalist has to stay in a work place 24 hours or work very late, and still cannot get very high payment, I still choose it. “To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, to gain all while you give, to roam the roads of lands remote: to travel is to live,” H. C. Andersen said. I believe to travel is to live. I never want to stop my feet from travelling. Being a journalist, I will be able to travel many places and have the ability to get in touch with people from all walks of life. The more you read, the more you know. But I believe the more you see, the more you experience, the more you know.

           Learning Journalism in the US is a good opportunity to really know the freedom of speech. An article on the website Committee to Protect Journalists says “The 10 Most Censored Countries”, North Korea, Burma, Turkmenistan, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Eritrea, Cuba, Uzbekistan, Syria and Belarus. Generally, foreign students from other censored countries come to America for studying Journalism will be beneficial a lot. But people who work in the Journalism field may know that China is a censored country, although China is not one of in the 10 most censored countries. Thus, compared to America, freedom of speech is less in my homeland China because of the censorship. While studying Journalism in an American university truly makes me broaden my horizon. And I have learned to investigate the truth for my audience.

          Follow your heart, it will direct you to a right way.