Tips on how to start re-inventing yourself as a journalist

  

Journalism is not dead, it just got more creative!

How do you deal with the uncertainty and the fear of losing your job?

Are you trying to make sense of the world you are living right now? You're not alone.

Last year I attended a panel discussion in Sandton, South Africa on financial skills for financial experts. The theme that was a common thread throughout the discussion was how to adapt to change and embrace it in an everchanging world.

 The one thing that they all agreed on was that change is inevitable. One of the speakers admitted that the change was happening so rapidly that there was no way to keep up. And the big question was, how do you adapt?

 That was before Covid-19.

 That was in a world where many things made sense. 

Covid-19 changed all of that.

Now we are faced with an uncertain future where no one really has the answers. And this situation is not unique to South Africa. The whole world is battling with the same questions and uncertainty.

And the one thing Covid-19 had done brilliantly is to expose us in ways we never imagined. It has humbled and humiliated us and destroyed our illusions about who and what we thought we were.

Industries have been decimated. The uncertainty is felt in almost every sector, from farming to the financial sector. And the media has not been spared. There’s a possibility that the person who wrote the article you’re reading, the presenter of your favourite show, or the person you see on television are all experiencing the same fears as you are.

The print media was hit hard and fast. Iconic print publications, like  Associated Media Press, based in Cape Town went out of business after 38 years. Media24 also closed some print publications to streamline their operations. 

These are people’s livelihoods that were destroyed. Behind every story of another closure lies the loss of income, the pain, the disappointment, the crippling fear and the worries of an uncertain future of the many employees who are now without jobs. 

What if there's a possibility that you will lose your income? How do you even begin to deal with the anxiety and the stress of all the what-ifs? 

And how do you start over again?

I asked this question of someone who never had a formal job. She created her own when she graduated as a fashion designer. She wasn’t rich but she was comfortable and she made a very decent living. Then Covid-19 came. 

Within a week she went from having clients lined up until 2021 to not knowing how she was going to pay her bills. She has been in business for almost thirty years. And she managed to pick herself up after this devastating blow, without any prospects of a pension payout when her business collapsed within days.

In this podcast here she shares how she managed to pick herself up and start over again.

I was still feeling sorry for myself and being depressed about Covid-19, and she was already reaching out to people and to rebuild her business from scratch. She adapted.

We know that we have to adapt to the changes taking place around but things are changing at an alarming speed. And change can be a very scary thing for most people.

But as a journalist, you are perfectly positioned to lead that change. 

You are going to need three things to succeed:

• The willingness to put in an immense effort to create an income
• A complete change of heart from feeling hopeless to seeing possibilities
• A new way of thinking where you look towards an online world to make your mark

You have to adjust your thinking. The challenge you face today can not be solved with the solutions of yesterday. We want to solve the questions of the twenty-first century by applying solutions of the twentieth century. We are living in 2020 and most of us have not realised it until Covid-19 happened.

 Being a journalist never should have been just about having a job. 

It should always have been about:

• shaping the world around you 
• influencing 
• debating 
• dissecting 
• analysing information
• digging for information, reworking it, and presenting it in a new, refreshing and honest way.
• Telling amazing heartfelt stories in an authentic way
• Telling the truth and being as objective as possible

As a journalist, you've always been a powerful position. Here's why:

• You have access to resources  
• You have access to powerful and influential people. 
• You have the ability to gain the trust of people, and once you’ve gained that trust they will tell you things they are not willing to share with anyone else
• You have a reputation, and if it's a good one people would want to associate with you, and tell you their stories
• You have an existing platform you can use to launch your own platform

 Once you realise the power and the possibilities the internet has to offer, then already you are on your way to carving out a whole new life and a great income.

But your chances for success will significantly diminish if:

• You’ve been a journalist just to pay your rent
• You’ve relied on your qualifications alone to do your job
• You were put in a position because of your connections and you lack the capacity to fulfil even the most basic duties
• You were hiding behind your colleagues and did your job just because you had to or someone told you to do so  
• You relied on who you know and are used to throwing names around to get your way

If you refuse to adapt you will not survive in this industry or any other one. And you will be left out in the cold.

Then who will survive or even thrive?

• The innovative ones 

• The creative ones 

• The ones who solve problems 

• Those who take their craft very seriously 

• The ones who were doing the work while you were partying with people who were the flavour of the month.

• The ones who are willing to learn

• The ones who see opportunity where still see fear and uncertainty
• The ones who identified their niche and focus on that
• The ones who work their butts off for whom sleep becomes a luxury at times

You are now in the perfect position to make your mark. 

But if you were just tagging along all these years, you will be exposed and you will not make it.

•  Now is the time to stop looking for a job and create your own opportunities.

 There are so many questions South African have. We have so many issues that are left hanging in the air. You, the journalist are now perfectly positioned to become an industry expert on the issues you are most passionate about, or interested in. The possibilities are endless.

 I am sick to death of politics. Too often a company or an issue is in the news only because a politician and someone from the company did some dodgy deals. We need more news about  other events happening around us. 

Once you have an internet connection, there are no limits to what you can achieve. You can be sitting in your lounge and do work for a client in Switzerland. 

What can you do?

• Become the credible informed voice on the issues that bug you the most when you read or hear about it. 
• Become the go-to person who has the contacts and the knowledge when people want to know anything about a specific industry. 
• Build your name. 
• Build your brand. 
• Build your credibility. 
• Work your butt off 
• And become the influencer.

So many things are happening in our country and the world around us, and the information is there if you are prepared to look for it.. 

Where do you start?

• Take an interest in something that will take you out of your comfort zone
• Do the research. 
• Talk to people. 
• Use your resources.
• Then write a factual piece 
• Then write again.  
• And keep on writing
• Be truthful

Do it now. Don't wait.

The world’s no longer able to provide us with jobs at the rate that we need it or to give us job security. Nothing is certain. 

You now have the opportunity to provide a sense of certainty and clarity on your own platform. In your own voice.

Stop with the excuses:

- You don’t have to be an expert to start. 
- You don’t have to know the “right people.” 
- You don't need the latest gadget
- You don't need more time
- Your spelling and your grammar don't have to be perfect. There are tools      that can help you with that
- You don't have to be famous

Use what you have. 

Read.  Read some more. Get to know as much as you can about your field of interest. 

Ask questions. Build relationships. Ask more questions.

But just start. Today.

You would be surprised by how willing people are to share their experiences and their expertise with you if you are willing to learn and to listen. 

Reach out. Don't let fear hold you back.

Whatever it is that you’ve always wanted to do, now is the time to do it.

Don't expect it to be easy. It will be hard. It will be brutal. 

You will have your heart broken many times. You will be disappointed. You will get rejected. 

And you will cry. A lot. You will cry until you think you have no more tears left to cry.

But keep on doing it. Take the baby steps. Do the work. 

And start all over again every single day. And you will become one of the chosen few who made their mark on their terms and stepped up to the challenge when everyone else was faltering. And keep on believing that you can do this.

And never give up

For more inspirational stories, please listen to my podcast at anchor.fm/olivia-sambo