As I have a craving for adventure and a fascination with different people and places, I found that my love for writing could also be included in the job description of a Freelance Journalist. Always a keen writer with an imagination as a kid, I was persuaded to think about writing as a career. Therefore armed with a phone number cut out of the employment section of the West Australian Newspaper, I enrolled in the Professional Freelance Journalism course at the Morris Journalism Academy.
In doing so I embarked on a journey of information, practical exercises and a reawakening of my writing mind. I am 19 years of age and live on the family farm in the shire of the humble town of Boyup Brook in the Western Australia’s southwest. External studies did not phase me as I had already completed a Business Administration course via correspondence.
I then worked as a receptionist for a small town accounting firm. After three months and the realization that it was not my ‘cup of tea’, I packed my bag and swag and spent the next ten months on a remote cattle station in the Gascoyne region of WA as a governess.
At the end of the year, I not only returned home with a dog but also an abundance of memories. The best way I found to preserve them was to write them down. As well as taking a trip down memory lane, by writing them into articles, I have entertained and informed others.
Before even completing this online journalism course, I have published two articles in the local gazette (small but a start) and was pleasantly greeted with immense encouragement and comments from friends, family and strangers. It is a great feeling to realize that by writing a piece, your readers perhaps learned something that day or managed to break a smile while reading the local rag over a cup of tea. So as well as writing for yourself, you are doing something for others.
An excellent aspect of this course is you are always working under the careful eye of professional and experienced writers and editors themselves. They are always willing to not only pass on their wealth of knowledge but to guide using encouragement and more importantly, constructive criticism. In the short six months, the course covers ALL aspects of why and how to become a freelance journalist. Including the many writing genres for a variety of magazines and newspapers, under the guidance of writers and editors of those publications.
The Professional Journalism Course is about making a career out of your limited abilities to write and your passions and areas of interest. No matter what age, gender, or lifestyle you have. Whether its writing articles to pay the bills or just as a weekend hobby, this online journalism course will give you the best chance at achieving those goals.