Journalism – something that is deeply required in India at the moment.
You wanted to be the supporter of truth and free speech, and thus you decided to get a degree in BA Journalism. Everything was going great, until one day you googled “Career options after BA in Journalism”; and the search results didn’t satisfy you.
We know what that feels like. And to right this wrong, we decided to create an authoritative list of career options that one can pursue after BA in journalism, along with important information such as salaries and job profiles. After weeks of research, here it is:
Journalist
An option that you may not have thought of, being a BA Journalism graduate, is becoming a Journalist.
Okay, sarcasm aside, becoming a Journalist is actually a really good idea. There is a reason that people automatically assume that if you graduated in journalism or mass media, you are going to become a Journalist. This career is safe, with steady demand and steady salaries.
If you have been living under a rock, here is what a Journalist does – Journalists are responsible for reading and writing press releases, researching articles, interviewing sources, and establishing and maintaining contacts. They also write, edit, submit copy, proofread, and verify statements and facts.
Journalists are also involved in attending events, liaising with editors, designers, sub-editors, photographers, and staying up to date with contempt, privacy, and defamation law. I know it’s tempting, but don’t be fooled by the simplicity of that job description, the work is still work. Timings are the good ol’ 9-5, and most companies don’t allow employees to work from home, but that has changed a bit after the pandemic.
Salaries are good in this profession, with a decent amount of money being offered to freshers. Monetary growth is slow, but quite steady. There is a lot of travel involved in this job, and you may be subjected to a few transfers here and there. Excited? Great, start applying to Journalist jobs. Not your cup of tea? Read on, we got a few more options to help you along.
Community Reformer
If you’re a BA Journalism graduate, pursuing the road to becoming a Community Reformer is a fantastic choice for you. The job description is exciting, and you’ll be challenged to solve new problems every day in a creative manner. Is there anything more satisfying? No, I doubt it.
Community Reformers are responsible for providing program design and training progression. They inform new and current members to ensure effective and safe workouts. They provide supervision, explain, exercise instruction, and demonstrate equipment. They also schedule market programs through lectures to maximize utilization and adoption of reforms.
Some aspects of the job description, as well as work-life balance, can vary from company to company. Some businesses ensure that their workers have a good work-life balance, while others do not.
With time, leadership opportunities become open, and the opportunity for career advancement is enormous. However, bear in mind that this is a desk job, so travel will be a rare aspect of your workday. So, if travel is a top priority or a make-or-break factor for you, this career path may not be the right fit for you.
The pay in this field is good, with freshers being given a good starting salary (approximately INR 4 to 5 Lacs). The money in this sector is growing slowly but steadily.
Travel Agent
Not satisfied by the various career options we talked about? Well, how about becoming a Travel Agent? You will get good pay, be involved with interesting work, and the potential for career growth is enormous.
Travel Agents are responsible for cooperating with clients to determine their needs, modes of transportations, cost, and accommodations, and advising them with an appropriate destination based on those parameters. They plan and sell insurance, accommodations, transportations, and other travel services.
They also provide brochures, information, and publications to travellers. Apart from this, some other work that you may be required to perform as a Travel Agent is management of people, internal operations and so on. The work is challenging and rewarding at the same time, which makes for a deadly combination if you ask us.
Salaries start around INR 2 to 3 Lacs, and monetary growth happens very quickly. You can very easily expect your starting salary to double within a few years. And of course, a lot of travel is involved in this job.
Article Writer
If you’re undecided about all of the above choices, Article Writer could be the best job option for you. The demand for this profession has been skyrocketing recently, so now would be an excellent time to enter it. If you’ve recently opened LinkedIn, you’ll notice that it’s flooded with employers looking for article writers and content writers.
That’s fine. But what exactly does an Article Writer do? Here’s the fix.
Article Writers are responsible for writing, editing, and proofreading text. They market and distribute work, develop contacts, and research on a particular or specified topic. They also liaise with other professionals like artist, printers, and photographers.
They generally administrate, seek to publish contracts, and conditions of contracts. Your duties can vary from time to time, but in the end, it all boils down to writing in an engaging way. So, if you think you’d like to do that, becoming an Article Writer could be the best choice for you.
Problem-solving abilities, which are the bulk of what an employer looks for in this field, can only be learned by experience. As a result, the majority of seasoned Article Writer advise newcomers to get started as soon as possible. That’s one of the best things about this profession – you can work on your writing at your own pace at home.
Salaries in this field (as in most others) are highly variable, but you can expect to earn somewhere between INR 3 to 4 Lacs at the start of your career.
Customer Service Executive
A slightly unique or offbeat career option for students of BA (Hons.) Journalism is Customer Service Executive.
So, what are the responsibilities and work profile of an Customer Service Executive, you may ask? Worry not, we have the answer.
Customer Service Executives are responsible for maintaining customer information and solving their queries. They open customer accounts by recording account information, suggesting information about products and services, and attracting potential customers by answering product and service questions.
They also determine the cause of the problem and resolve product and service problems by clarifying the customer complaints. As you can see, the work is very interesting, especially if you are interested in a career around communication.
But a word of warning if you are not particularly a ‘communication’ guy (or girl), please don’t get into this profession as you would be miserable most of the time. Don’t say that we didn’t warn you!
And of course, how can we not talk about salaries. Starting salaries are roughly in the range of INR 2 to 3 Lacs per annum. Mostly employment would be found in cities, so if you are from a rural or semi-urban area, be ready to relocate.
Growth prospects (both monetary and otherwise) are great at the moment (we wouldn’t be recommending this to you otherwise, would we?). So, to stress the original point of this article, becoming a Customer Service Executive is a great option for BA Journalism graduates.
So these were some of the highest-paying professions that you can go for after completing a B.A. in Journalism. Did you like the article and found it informative? Then please share it with fellow journalism students so that they can make well-informed decisions about their professional life. Subscribe to our newsletter to get a weekly update about the different career options added on the website.