Anna Uhls: An Informative Talk about Journalism Jobs in the Internet Age

Anna Uhls’ talk on her getting a job at the Washington Post was interesting in several ways for me as a, a journalism student, a blogger analyzing the Washington Post’s coverage, and, in a few months, a job-seeker in the journalism industryl. While Anna had been touted as an example of an exceptional journalism graduate who managed to get a job at the Washington Post after graduating, I was a bit surprised to hear of the circumstances, It had taken her four months to get the job at the Washington Post, which helped me see that waiting several months for a job after graduation would be typical for anyone, even the very talented. Her explanation of how she got the job with the skills she had effectively helped me understand how knowledge of the Internet can make young reporters an important resource for newspapers, even in the current economy. 

 Anna was also remarkably modest about the nature of the work and the nature of the job, stating that she had gotten the job partly due to luck, and was the “little fish” who, despite knowing how to work with the Internet in ways that many more experienced Post reporters did not, still did fairly basic work. This helped me realize that I should not put my initial expectations too high, and not feel discouraged as my peers get internships and jobs at "big-name" publications. Having recent graduates with interesting stories to tell, especially when such stories relate to the rise of internet journalism and what college students can do for themselves and their future employers in the course of it, is a helpful feature for journalism students about to enter the workforce.