Examining Career Prospects of Mobile Journalism amongst Journalism Students

Abstract

Mobile journalism is a rapidly developing field in journalism with many opportunities for aspiring journalists. For journalism students with the intention of venturing into full time journalism, mobile journalism provides numerous career choices which can often become a daunting challenge. With scholarly literature within the Ghanaian setting on mobile journalism and student career choices in short supply, the present study sought to examine the factors that influence university students to pursue a career in mobile journalism. Qualitative data was collected from students of the National Film and Television Institute on the factors influencing their decision to enter into mobile journalism. The study found that the broad areas where student’s career goals in mobile journalism are focused were politics and social issues. Students also reported that their choices in mobile journalism were largely influenced by their lecturers and social media. Factors that influenced student’s decision to enter into mobile journalism were broadly categorised into internal and external influences. The study also found that there were various factors that acted as barriers in the achievement of student's career goals. The study concluded that mobile journalism holds numerous potentials for budding journalist which requires adequate support.