Is it important to have a degree in mass communication to become a reporter?

It is important to have a degree in journalism to be a good journalist. But, we have many cases where journalists have come from other subject streams like Literature, management, Law and visual arts. But, a good Journalism and Mass Communication allows you to get a bandwidth to specialize and be more employable and a better storyteller, if the university you come from is well known and pedagogy practice based.

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Reporters are people that no media organisation can do without. When you think of reporter what comes in your mind? Someone who has command over language, quick to respond, confident, knowledgeable and most importantly curiosity resides in him/her. If you possess these qualities, reporting can be your thing. A degree in journalism would help you prepare for this field but not necessarily it is that important. It acts as a gateway for your career but even a degree can't be a guarantee to it as any other field. In fact, so many reporters out there have done there qualification from other subjects. The work you do makes the pavement for a successful career. Networking is very important part of reporting. In short, if you are up for any challenge and your reports are impactful than media houses will be more than happy to work with you.

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Not necessarily - unless the job profile demands for it. A little preference is undoubtedly given to journalism graduates/post graduates, but it isn't a necessity. All you need to have is a skill set of a journalist. Current affairs on your tips, fluent English/Hindi and nose for news - and if the employer finds these in you, then you've found your dream job! Many people who have studied English, engineering, MBA are a part of the newsrooms of big media conglomerates and are, in fact, much better at what they do in comparison with those who studied journalism in college. Just that the first job is a hard nut to crack - for everybody irrespective of the subject you've studied. Once you have the first job - which comes in only if you have the needed skill set - then the work you did at your first job works as your CV for the next and so on. Good luck!

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No, not really and I don't recommend doing that unless you are interested in continuing on as an academic some day and teaching. You should get a degree - in truth, it can be in journalism, mass communications or something entirely unrelated. Then you should get a job as a journalist at some news outlet - print, broadcast or online. Employers value experience as a newsman much more than graduate degrees in journalism or related fields. That's because, when you apply for your next job, potential employers will be able to see samples of your work. They'll also know that you must have performed at least at an acceptable level in your first job. You see journalists around. Not everyone has their degrees in mass communication and journalism. In this field, it is important you have the talent. But prefer to have a degree so that no pointers will degrade you. Never say never for knowledge. So get a degree and become a successful reporter.

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