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What To Learn

High School

What high school courses should you take if you're interested in this career? Get your answers from the Arts, Audio-Video Technology and Communications cluster Journalism and Broadcasting pathway.

Insider Info

Additional Information

Maria Trombly is a foreign correspondent based in Shanghai. According to Trombly, foreign correspondents come from all sorts of backgrounds. Some have degrees in journalism or English. Others have studied finance and economics, business, philosophy, languages or mathematics.

"Anything and everything," she remarks when asked about educational backgrounds. "Success seems correlated more to energy and adaptability then to background."

Chris Mitchell is a foreign correspondent in the Middle East. He says that a journalism degree is not a requirement, but it is recommended. He has a bachelor's degree in history and a master's in communication. He thinks that getting experience with a small newspaper or station would help.

If you have a particular affinity for a news organization, Mitchell suggests trying to get a job with them. "Some have started small and worked their way up," he remarks. "Some started with humble beginnings."

According to Trombly, being able to communicate with new people is a very important skill. "Sales training is fantastic here. Get a telemarketing job, or cold calling job, while in college."

One of the best ways to work towards a career in foreign correspondence is to practice your journalism skills on student newspapers.

If you have an opportunity to travel, try scouting out newsworthy events. Research a story and submit it to a news source. You might be surprised to see your name on a byline sooner than you think.

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