Thursday, November 3, 2011

Recap of Day in the Field Visit to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
























L&S CAREER SERVICES STUDENTS AND STAFF ON THE ROOFTOP PATIO OF MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL'S DOWNTOWN LOCATION


On a warm fall day on October 14th, a group of 9 students and 3 Career Services staff members took a Day in the Field Trip to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. This was one of the best Day in the Field programs that occurred, in which there were many opportunities for the students to meet with all levels of staff members to learn about the most current trends in journalism, communications and digital media, and how the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is positioning itself to best meet these trends.


Highlights of the visit included a tour of all 6 floors of the historic downtown Milwaukee location, including a trip back in time to the old printing press in the basement that was used for many decades. Visits to the newsroom, marketing/advertising departments, circulation section, and the publisher/editor gave the students an excellent sense of the inner workings of one of Wisconsin’s major media sources. The Journal Sentinel boasts a strong investigative reporting focus, with some of their reporters recently receiving Pulitzer Prizes for their work.

Perhaps the finest part of the experience were the thorough speed networking sessions that the students had with all of the executives of the organization and newer employees. These sessions enabled each student to have one-on-one networking and informational interview time. Students were personally invited to submit their resumes for anticipated future internships and career openings at the paper.

Student testimonials from the trip, which were drawn from student evaluations about their experience include:

1.) The field trip today was excellent because students got a more in-depth feel of working at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Meeting the staff one on one was very helpful because they offered practical, hands-on advice about getting started on job search and finding opportunities. My favorite part was by far sitting with executives also one on one and learning about the different career paths available at the newspaper. Those opportunities are rare and I am happy I was able to participate.


2.) The trip was a rewarding experience because it gave me a glimpse into the life in a newsroom. It was nice talking to people who worked there because it gave me insight into what I need to do to establish a career in communications and/or journalism.


3.) I really enjoyed being able to meet with the managing editor and publisher. I'm in this constant worry about finding a job and they gave me advice that the future of a journalist is really not just being a reporter but being someone who knows about the technological aspects of everything; how to make and manage a website, social media and search engine optimization. That was great to hear since we learn so much technology in the journalism school and there are some moments when I wonder if they will actually come into play again.



Interested in more experiential opportunities with the Journal Sentinel? Please stay tuned for more information about our Winter Break Job Shadow program that will soon be on the L&S Career Services website http://www.lssaa.wisc.edu/careers




SPEED NETWORKING SESSIONS OF STUDENTS AND MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL STAFF MEMBERS (BELOW)






















































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