this sort of professional training is a good start but will no means land me a job as a journo. first thing to realise is the pay is gash; only around 14k for a trainee. freelance work pays pittance and is unpredictable and where before shorthand was a journalist's key skill, now all you need is a tape recorder and a notepad if you can be bothered.
it's easy to slate ritson and the rest of the sports desk but the job is a hard one. generating stories to fill boring days (like we seem to have everyday) is quite a task.
Well, speaking as someone who's in the job - although not a sports journalist - hopefully I can add a bit of insight.
Yes, a degree is very helpful indeed, as is a post grad, but none of them at all will guarantee you a job in the business. Plenty of it is about being actually good at writing and finding out stories, being able to cultivate contacts, and also generate stories. Some of it is about being in the right place at the right time. Someone previously mentioned doing your own site and writing your own reports - this would certainly help if the reports were good and eye catching.
You're right to say that it is easy to slate Ritson, but believe me, it is a lot harder than it looks to fill column inches when there's fuck all going on. When you're sat there on a Sunday afternoon with a blank sheet and a deadline ...
The pay is bollocks for new starters but if you stick around it can rise to an acceptable level.
I'd also add that with the way newspapers are going these days, with more an more emphasis on the internet, web skills are becoming key. Also, if you can handle a video camera or know a little about editing, you'll be a shoe in for jobs.
Remember kids, the more skills you have, the more employable you will look to the editors!!!
