Career Center
Monday - Thursday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Did your major play an important role in getting a job after graduation?
Not directly, but my American Government degree gave me a strong foundation in the legislative process, campaigns and politics. That knowledge enabled me to start an internship and work on Capitol Hill for two and a half years - that internship played an important role in my job post-graduation.
Did you participate in any extra-curricular activities while you were a student at Georgetown?
I worked at The Hoya for three years, starting out as a sports writer and editor and serving as editor-in-chief for a semester my junior year. I held numerous positions at The Hoya, serving on the Board of Directors and editorial board, and continued to cover sports even during my term as editor-in-chief.
Did these activities help you get your job?
Having The Hoya on my resume certainly helped me get my foot in the door at ABC News. It showed that I could balance multiple activities (classes, reporting, deadlines) and was willing to work to gain experience in government and journalism. Even more important than just helping me get my job, the skills I learned through these activities were critical to my advancement in television journalism after college. I learned how to interview people, deal with people who do not want to give you information and come up with creative ways to approach stories and events.
What internships did you have while you were at Georgetown?
I worked on Capitol Hill for a congressman for five semesters and two full-time summers, serving as a press assistant, and had an internship with ABC News my final semester senior year. I worked at This Week with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts during the primary season in 2000 and saw up-close how network television covers an election.
How did you get those internships?
I applied for the congressional internship at the urging of one of my friends who was also working on Capitol Hill. I called and spoke to someone in the congressman's office who asked me to send a letter and resume. I went in for a brief interview to meet the staff and was working a few weeks later. For my ABC News internship, I utilized a media directory that was in the Career Center (the Leadership Directory for media) and found a contact at ABC News' This Week and other political television programs that were based out of Washington, DC. By having a name, I was able to contact that producer directly instead of trying to navigate the internship program and was able to make a personal contact that helped me get the internship at ABC News.
What kind of work did you do as an intern?
As an intern on the Hill, I started out answering phones and constituent mail and soon was attending hearings and writing notes for the congressman and staff. I worked closely with the press secretary, helping with press releases and memos on different legislative issues.
At ABC News, I worked during the primary season of 2000, so one of my main responsibilities was watching many hours of tape of then-Vice President Al Gore, Gov. George Bush, Sen. John McCain and Bill Bradley. I logged the tapes and helped look for sound bites that would be used in the broadcast. I worked closely with the show's researcher, helping to prepare memos for the show's anchors and contributors and fact checking scripts and graphics. I assisted the researcher and other producers in reporting on the presidential candidates and Capitol Hill politics. I also was able to go on shoots with a camera crew and help the producers find tape for their pieces.
Why did you go back to school to get a graduate degree in Liberal Studies? And has it helped you in your career?
I pursued my Master's in Liberal Studies after hearing about the program from another Georgetown graduate working in television journalism. NBC's Norah O'Donnell came to speak at the Career Center my senior year about working in television and mentioned that she was in the Liberal Studies program because it allowed her to pursue a well-rounded graduate curriculum. I felt that this degree would be beneficial to me as a reporter because I could take classes in a variety of subjects that all come up in my daily routine (foreign affairs, culture, public policy, and politics).
What do you like most about your current job?
I like that I get an up-close view of the presidency and how the nation's government works. It may sound corny, but it's like having a front row seat to history. Since covering the campaign and now the White House, I have been to 44 states and several foreign countries, traveling with the President and Vice President, and have seen towns I never would have traveled to otherwise. Everyday is something new - sometimes every hour is something new!
What do you like least?
Nothing! Okay, maybe it would be nice to have a more regular schedule that allowed for more sleep and free time, but it's too much fun and interesting to want to work less.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
The most challenging thing is getting answers to all of my questions and staying on a story until I do. It's also challenging to juggle the schedule, which is very demanding, and handle a dozen major issues all at the same time. But that's also one of the fun parts of the job - it's never boring because there is always another issue that will come up in the news.
How much money can recent graduates expect to make in journalism, and how do salaries increase as someone moves up the ladder?
Not a lot of money. Desk assistant is a very low-paying job but it has the potential for overtime hours, especially in times of major news. But if you work hard and stay with the same organization, there is potential to move up the ladder and each job title has a decent salary increase.
Do you have any advice you'd like to give students interested in pursuing a career in journalism?
Take classes in a wide range of subjects. On any given day you may be asked to know something about South Africa, modern art, hip-hop music, the politics of Medicare reform or military history. You aren't expected to know everything off the top of your head, but you need to know how to quickly find information, synthesize it, and be able to report it in a clear, concise way - all on deadline pressure.
Keep an open mind about job opportunities - not everybody can work at a network or the New York Times right away, but sometimes you can gain more experience at a smaller market or smaller publication that will then take you to the top papers or shows.
Don't be frustrated if you aren't chasing the big stories right away. It takes time to learn the system of your news organization and if you prove you can do the little, menial things (answering the phone, keeping on top of the day's news), you will be trusted with the bigger things.
