Employment in Industry + Jobs

 Employment in the Media Industry:

The only job that sort of stands out to me is photography.

Photography is a visual art form which allows us to capture specific moments in time and tell stories of people, places, events, and connect us to our past. 

I'd like to be able to go freelance, I don't do well with schedules and such set by others and would rather work at my own pace and be able to choose the projects I do (instead of someone else doing that for me). 

A freelance photographer may work short term with any employer (like for a newspaper, magazine, advertising agencies, etc.) as well as work on more personal shoots such as weddings or family events. They need to know how to adapt to the equipment and surroundings as well as know how to set up a studio to produce the best effects and images.

Job Opportunities:

National Geographic is a non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting the planet with their five focus areas being ocean, wildlife, human history and culture, and human ingenuity. They fund and support the work of scientists, educators, storytellers, conservationists, technologists, etc.

National Geographic photographers are freelancers who all come from a wide array of backgrounds and have different interests and passions as well as educational backgrounds. They usually have about 5 to 10 years of experience in photography/photojournalism and have highly specialised skills in areas such as wildlife, underwater, landscape, culture, and so on.

I’m most interested in working with National Geographic because photo assignments are given to photographers who are best at meeting the very specific needs for that assignment, instead of photographers who are the best all-round photographers or have the most experience. I’d be much more comfortable working with a company/organisation that actually considers my level of ability before giving me an assignment, since that ensures that I'll actually be able to do the job.

Because some years of experience is required, I would most likely work with other companies similar to National Geographic and such long before I’d approach them looking for work. 

Photojournalism tells stories through images, whereas journalism relies on words to tell a story. Because photojournalism is all in photos, anyone from around the world can understand the story it tells. Career options for photojournalists include newspaper photojournalism, broadcast journalism, and freelance journalism; most photojournalists work as freelancers.

I considered journalism as a potential career path, however I came to the conclusion that I'm not as good at writing as I am with things such as photography or graphic design, so photojournalism seems to be more fitting for me. There really aren’t any degree requirements if you’re working freelance/are self employed, but having a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism will certainly help with employability. An internship would also help get you experience and connections in the industry.