Glogster

My main problem

We have a project now, it's exciting. It's about global issues, and we're supposed to pick something and then present it, - an oral presentation and an "academic" hand-in. I'm excited, looking forward to it! Because  I  chose the coolest topic:

overpopulation. It's the grounds to all our problems, if it were not for the huge amount of people on this planet, everything would be different. I'm supposed to tie other subjects into the project, so I'm also doing research on urbanization and why the consuming market will be of less current interest in the future. 

It think it'll be good!

Personal journal entry about my (bright) future...

"Writing a personal journal entry

Write a personal journal entry in which you reflect on your future career and life after upper secondary school. Some thoughts to include are:
a) worries or expectations about going into the 'real world'
b) the kind of job you see for yourself
c) the kind of further education you want to or have to take
d) any secret hopes, fears or desires you have relating to your future"

This task is fun. I get to do something I'm really good at: worrying about my future.
Okay, that was a joke. But there is some truth in it. When I saw the task I was assigned to do, I was relieved. "This is something I do every day," I thought. Because I do. I have a personal journal already. It's like a free place for all my stupid and weird thoughts, so my head won't explode. It's kind of a fusion between some stupid new age therapy and a serious log. I write down things so I some day can log on to livejournal.com (the host), and read my adventures.
  I looked up my most used "tags". Let me explain: a "tag" is a short description, often one word, who in some way says something about the blog post. I will for instance tag this post as "school", "English", "studying" and "future". As I said, I sorted my tags after usage. And what did I see? Some tags were not a surprise, they were called things like "thoughts" and "music" and "school". But there was one more tag that appeared frequently. "Future".
  Why am I so engaged in my future? Well, of course, I should be, but I am more than average interested in it. If a teacher would grade me by how much I think about my future, I would definitely get a "high achievement". I think it's pretty simple, actually: I know what I want. I know what I want to do, I have high expectations about it, and my passion is burning like an eternal flame. 
  If you've read my last post, you know what I want to do. I want to be a journalist. It's in the cards, it's my destiny, my "call" in life. I know it sounds silly, but I'm starting to believe it's true. My dad worked in a newspaper, as an editor and journalist. I grew up with all the newspapers on the breakfast table. I started to make newspaper when I was 10. Back then, the front page was about a lost duckling. Today I sometimes write a column for Aftenposten, a national newspaper in Norway. They have this popular youth section, where teenagers can post their opinions. I get good grades in both Norwegian writing and in the media subject, and I really enjoy having projects about communication, journalism and the media in general.

  I've been thinking a lot about study opportunities. Thanks to my dad and some of his journalist friends, I get to learn about their experiences about the job and the business. I have some thoughts about becoming a journalist, and I will now present them.

First of all, the profession journalist is not uncommon. There are, especially in comparison with earlier, a lot of journalists. And because of the financial crisis, getting jobs will be a lot harder. Media agencies all over the world have had to cut down on employees, including journalists, but also graphic designers and Proof readers. I think and hope that this problem will be settled when I'm finished with my education, and my father says that "the best will always make it, no matter the profession" (okay, now it seems like I have this strict and narrow-minded dad; I don't).

Over to another thing about being a journalist. If you read the newspapers today, a lot, maybe even the majority, of journalists have a "field of expertise". They're not just journalists, many of them don't even have an education as a journalist! They have studied other things, and write about news and issues in their "area". They hold Bachelor's or master's degrees in, for instance, science, social studies, politics, culture, sports etcetera.. This gives the newspaper a depth in their sections. A problem with an "expert" newspaper is that these "experts" aren't journalists, so therefore they can lack a language that's easy to understand, the skill of handling deadlines or to be critical towards their sources.

To be a journalist is a lot of work. There are deadlines, late hours and extra time. It's a demanding job, and a lot of prestige. I know how I work as a person, and being a journalist won't be a problem. I can handle deadlines, I work best under pressure and I don't need much sleep. But I also know that some day, I want to settle down. I want to buy a house, have kids and establish a family. I know what it's like to have a father or mother that's often away. Not that it was any problem, I'm not bitter or sad about it. My dad kind of "gave up" his job because of me and my brother, so he could be more home. Being a journalist is, in the long run, tiring. Therefore, I need a wide education, so that when I calm down, I can do something else.

About my education, there is one thing I know: at some point, I will get my Bachelor's degree in journalism. I want to be the best, so I'll need to study where they offer the best education. There is an urban saying among journalists, that the University of Oslo is the best place to study if you want to work in a newspaper, and Volda College is the best for a future in television and radio. I'm not sure if I want to work in television or in newspaper, but I still have a year to think about that. I've checked the requirements for attending Volda College, and I hope that I will be accepted.

But, as said, I want to be the best. I'm not satisfied with a Bachelor's degree alone. I want something else too, an education that I can use when I settle down, and work as a teacher or something similar. I have thought of three possibilities.

First, there is a Bachelor's programme called North American Studies, at the University of Oslo. I love America, and to learn about pop culture and the influence USA has on the world would be very interesting. Though it is not so relevant to my career in journalism, it would be a good idea to have it if I were to teach. I could be a Social Studies and English teacher.

I am also thinking a lot about studying Criminology, although that is a secret.. I'm a huge fan of crime fiction and whodunnits, and I find crime.. kind of interesting. I would like to learn about criminal behavior, the reason behind crime and such. It could be useful if I were to be a crime journalist. In Norway, we read a lot about crimes in the newspapers, maybe even more than in other European countries. 

The last and most useful and also the most current programme is Media Science (I think it's mostly called "Mass Communication" in USA). I'm a huge fan of the media: I love newspapers and the news, television, commercials, blogs.. When we started blogging in Media, I found out that I loved it. I like having my own place or column where I can comment on happenings, articles and news, so people can read me. I want to influence the daily life of people.

I now realize I had a LOT on my heart. But it's because I look forward to studying and getting a job, that I think so much about it. To tell you a secret; sometimes when I'm supposed to sleep I get so excited thinking about studies and the future that I can't sleep, so I have to play some Nintendo or read some stupid book. Seriously. I look forward to move out, live for myself, get new friends, study things I'm REALLY passionate about and get a job that I enjoy.