Comments on: Students find j-schools lacking

By: Katharine Lackey

Katharine Lackey — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:49:28 +0000

I’m an out of state student so tuition and fees per semester is $13,073 for 2008-2009 for a lovely total of $26,146. Multiply that by four years and you get over $100,000. When I started here four years ago, tuition and fees were probably closer to $22,000 a year. This of course does not take into account living expenses — cost of an off-campus apartment and food.

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 07:13:19 +0000

I have to agree that a person who is savvy about online journalism should know how to edit and stream audio and video. But you can learn this stuff by taking 4 – 5 $500 evening classes. You don’t need to spend $100,000.

Also, who in the world spends $100,000 to get a degree other than an MD or JD? An MS in journalism at NYU or Columbia certainly doesn’t cost that much.

By: peter

peter — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:04:03 +0000

@katharine – are you referring to the principles underlying the tasks, or just which buttons to push to get a particular result?

If the former then yes by all means take classes in (eg) audio production. Learn how to read a waveform monitor, learn how to use EQ to improve dialogue,how to apply compression etc. But you you are in a minority.

If (like the vast majority) you just want to learn which keys to press to convert your photos into a slideshow and add a VO track – there is no point in trying to memorize those details – the recommended methodology changes every few months.

You are wanting a map to a city that is just now beginning to take shape – no such thing exists – break out the sextant.

By: Ellen Mrja

Ellen Mrja — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:14:38 +0000

And I can’t tell you how much I have learned on this blogsite, Mindy. Thank you for keeping this going for your faithful readers.

By: Katharine Lackey

Katharine Lackey — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:11:26 +0000

I will agree that you have to be your own advocate in learning these types of technologies, but if a degree in journalism is a requirement for most entry-level jobs in the field, shouldn’t I be learning the skills necessary in class?

By: Nachrichtenfluss » Blog Archive » Webfähigkeiten sind eine Holschuld

Nachrichtenfluss » Blog Archive » Webfähigkeiten sind eine Holschuld — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:37:36 +0000

[...] Mindy McAdams, eine meiner liebsten Medienblogger, bingt es immer wieder auf den Bildschirm. Den jungen Journalisten fehlt es an Web-Fähigkeiten. Sie erkennt vor allem bei amerikanischen Journalismus-Schulen großen Aufholbedarf in Sachen Internet. [...]

By: Colin Mulvany

Colin Mulvany — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:20:05 +0000

Peter is right. Train yourself. Unless the curriculum is cutting edge, you’re wasting your money. You don’t need to spend a 100 grand to learn multimedia. For working journalists that feel cheated by their college education, a couple of workshops and a good mentor will set you on the right path. Man, I’d hate to see that student’s first loan payment.

By: peter

peter — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:02:11 +0000

a subscription Lynda online is $25 a month.

If you can’t learn:

how to edit audio, edit video, stream live video, use Flash, use Soundslides and more.

in a couple of months – then face facts hundreds of thousands can and have.