Career of the week: News Reporter

News Reporter Career Information

To enter into a career as a news reporter, typically one must hold a bachelor’s degree in journalism or communication. Examples of types of news reporters include radio, television and newspaper. Often employers look at publication or broadcast experience, whether at a broadcasting station, university or through internships. There is heavy competition to acquire a reporter position at the large metropolitan and national level.

Due to the high level of competition obtaining news reporter positions at bigger publications and broadcasting stations, most aspiring reporters begin their careers at smaller companies tackling general assignments. The more experience they gain and time they spend in the field, the more likely they are to be assigned to a specialized area at higher difficulty levels. Larger stations and publications generally require their reporters to have a great deal of experience upon being hired.

News Reporter Job Duties

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a high level of pressure in a news reporter job due to irregular hours and tight deadlines. News reporters, also known as journalists, investigate, observe and interview. Their general job duties include collecting information, preparing a factual story and creating broadcasts that impart the information to the public. These stories often involve local, state, national and international topics on current events, actions of high-profile figures and interest group activity.

Often news reporters will also carry cameras and take photos or video footage of objects or places of potential significance. It can take weeks to complete gathering information for a story, depending on the depth at which the reporter must go to obtain the facts. Work hours differ depending on the medium in which the reporter works; for instance, magazine reporters typically work during the day and morning paper reporters tend to work in the evenings.

News Reporter Salary Info

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, news reporters’ yearly income varies greatly. In May 2008, the median annual wage of news reporters was $34,850. In newspaper publishing, the median annual wage was $33,430 and for television and radio it was $37,710.

source: Education-Portal

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How a Mid-Life Career Change Can Fill the Void

Over 40? Work life empty? You are not alone. After 20 or more years of working, we seldom acknowledge that our work life is no longer meeting our needs for meaning and fulfillment. After all, who even has the time for this self-reflection? Between worrying about growing older, staying in shape, keeping the relationship alive, dealing with issues of confidence, and paying the mortgage and other debts, who has time to live an authentic life?

Faceless meetings, bosses, products, customers, and unrealistic demands and deadlines. Even with all these, it seems easier to just accept the mundane tasks of work. After all, work isn’t supposed to be full of joy and happiness, right?

Most of us were brought up to work hard in school and get good grades that would lead to a good job with good pay. With this would come a nice job title, Mom and Dad would be proud and life would be perfect.

Then we could have a family, with its new responsibilities, and life would be complete until we retired. No one taught us how to live an authentic life.

The path to a more authentic life starts with finally asking the question, “What would my perfect work be?” It may be the most important question to ask yourself after you turn 40.

What is your answer? Is your work life significant? Does your work give you meaning? Is your work fulfilling? Does your work make sense to you? Do you find joy in your work?

Passionate Pursuits

Robin Sparks did’t think about what was perfect for her until after a painful divorce. She decided that she wanted to write stories about other people’s lives while traveling around the world.

Today, if you were to meet Robin you would discover a strong woman who never accepted the status quo. Robin is currently planning her boat trip around the world while living in different countries.

Michelle Hill grew tired of her many hours working as an administrative assistant. Her passion was to start her own cookie company. She ignored the advice of those around her and designed her perfect vocational day around baking and selling cookies. Today, as the proud owner of Michelle’s Cookie Kitchen, she has learned that, once she gave herself permission to follow her heart, her work life seemed to align around it.

Joyce Zee started early. Although not quite in mid-life, her story is proof that it is never too late or too early to take action to create and follow your perfect vocational day. Joyce was good at her job in the investment and finance field for many years, but her heart was elsewhere. Joyce wanted to help people plan their honeymoons. One day, she decided she couldn’t wait any longer and she started her own honeymoon and wedding planning service.

What can we learn from Robin, Michelle and Joyce? They ignored the status quo and gave themselves permission to follow their hearts.

Your Troubles are Over

Pretend that I just gave you 50 million dollars (after taxes). Would that be enough to allow you to create your perfect vocational day without worrying about earning money? Good.

How will you spend the next six months? Many of you will quit your jobs, travel, pay off debts and buy stuff, right?

OK, six months later and look at you! Tanned, relaxed, peaceful. Now with the money you have left, write down exactly how you will spend an average day for the rest of your life. Be specific, from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep.

Now I have some bad news. You have to give all the money back. But the good news is you can keep your vision of how you would spend your days if you had all the money you would ever need.

Patterns of Possibilities

Look for patterns. Examine the patterns of your day when you thought you had the money. Find examples of activities where you could make money. Don’t worry at this point how much money. Using these patterns, rewrite a perfect vocational day that would get you really excited. Write this down as a typical average day that you would enjoy for the rest of your life. You are finished when you are breathless.

Align your passions, abilities and interests. This is where you give yourself permission to take the next step. Write a biography of yourself five years from now describing the life you wish you were living. You are done only when you have become really excited about it. Then write a biography of today and examine the gap. This will create the tension you will need as momentum to start acting to close the gap.

Don’t wait for permission. Don’t wait for your spouse or your boss or your kids or society to give you approval. The permission to start to create and live your perfect vocational day must come from within yourself. If this was easy, I wouldn’t need to write this article. And I wouldn’t need to do the work I do helping people believe what is possible in their lives. This may be the hardest thing you will ever do, but your life will never be the same.

Be careful what you envision. Many times, your mind can’t tell the difference between what you imagine and what is real when thinking about the future. This is good news when you start to envision your perfect vocational day. You are not alone. This is a journey. We all seek and very few achieve, but it is possible with your hard work. Your authentic life is possible.

Give yourself permission and you will find, as Robin, Michelle and Joyce did, the world will align around your journey.

source: Job Journal

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How to Form a Union Where You Work

Here are three steps that will get you started.

STEP ONE: Know Your Rights

It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States to…encourag[e] the practice and procedure of collective bargaining and [to] protect…the exercise by workers of full freedom of association, self-organization and designation of representatives of their own choosing, for the purpose of negotiating the terms and conditions of their employment or other mutual aid or protection.

—National Labor Relations Act

Federal and state laws guarantee the right to form unions! Eligible employees have the right to express their views on unions, to talk with their co-workers about their interest in forming a union, to wear union buttons, to attend union meetings and in many other ways to exercise their constitutional rights to freedom of speech and freedom of association.*

Despite these laws, many employers strongly resist their employees’ efforts to gain a voice at work through unionization. So, before you start talking union where you work, get in touch with a union that will help you organize.

*Supervisors and a few other kinds of employees customarily are excluded from coverage. For more information, see specific laws covering your position or contact a union organizer as described below.

STEP TWO: Find Out Which Union is Right for You

To form a union on the job, you need the backup and hands-on help from the union you are seeking to join. If you don’t already know which union is most able to help you, find out more about the unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO by visiting their websites. Many of these websites enable you to contact the right person there directly to help you form a union.

In communities across the country, the AFL-CIO has local and state councils where unions come together to work toward common goals. To find out about union activity in your community, visit the website of your state federation of labor or central labor council, or check local directory assistance for this phone listing. Staff members at these offices can put you in touch with a local union that is right for you.

STEP THREE: Get in Touch with a Union Organizer

Union organizers assist employees in forming unions on the job to give them the same opportunity for dignity and respect, good wages and decent working conditions that union members already have. To get in touch with a union organizer, complete the attached form. The completed form will be forwarded automatically to an organizer at the union you choose. It will not be transmitted or disclosed otherwise.

source: AFL-CIO

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