Is 26 too late to begin a career in journalism?
Of course it’s not too late! My first journalism job was at 27. Many media companies prefer someone with real world experience. Depending on what career you are in now, you might try proposing a column or article discussing your current field (for example, “what it’s like to be a real estate agent,” or “waiting tables isn’t for the timid”). I only know American media, but I’d suspect in London also that you’re right about expecting a drop in salary. You might have more luck starting out with newspapers. Start sending in articles, columns, reviews, whatever you want to write. But my advice is: start small. Look for smaller community newspapers and niche magazines. Those are more often looking for content and more often open to new writers. Once those papers and magazines run your items a few times, then you can start clipping them and getting a real portfolio together. Once you have a portfolio, you can present it to larger markets and larger magazines. Email me if you want more info. G
It’s never too late, just be prepared for terrible pay when you start. I have found my writing jobs in various places, but the more I wrote, the more I found myself getting assigned in a particular genre, and now I am primarily a nightlife culture writer. Many jobs I found through Craigslist, but my most steady (as House Editor for URB Magazine) I got after being featured in the mag itself! They loved my respsonses so much they asked for further writing samples which lead to me becoming a guest writer and eventually a section editor. If you are submitting sample pieces for a freelance position, it souldn’t matter much where you’ve worked in the past, i.e. your writing should speak for itself, but if applying for a salaried position at a paper/magazine, expect to start at the bottom if there is no previous experience. Also, when submitting work, make sure it is relevant to what is asked for. One of the first writing jobs I applied for was “corporate writer” for Shure. The writing I subm
