“No. Absolutely not,” said Marcia Debnam, Career Services Director for the past 20 years at Indiana University’s School of Journalism, when asked of her opinion on whether journalism was a dying industry.

Tony Willis, a graduate of Indiana University’s School of Journalism who now teaches journalism, added to Debnam’s words, saying, "Journalism is not dying, but instead vastly changing." He adds that 30 years ago, his professors were analyzing where journalism was heading in the future, and many of them concluded that by the year 2000, printed newspapers would have completely disappeared.

As Willis said, journalism is a quickly advancing profession that is taking significant steps to keep level with the technology savvy generations looking for news. Every major newspaper now updates a website daily, if not more often. Large newspapers also use Facebook and twitter, which contributes to the career list for journalists.

Because of the technology advances, those pursuing careers as journalists must have a greater variety of skills than those looking for these same jobs did 20 years ago.

Students need to “get involved, learn about new things, get conversant at topics, develop writing and research skills," as well as "know how to edit, design, and work online," Debnam said. Many employees now look for applicants who have a broader range of knowledge, rather than a focus in one aspect of journalism, she said.

With the broader necessary skill set, a hunt for a job is tough, and many recent graduates decide to do internships. However, the number of paid internships is decreasing, Debnam said, and they are becoming more difficult to obtain.

Even though internships are increasingly harder to secure, Danielle Rindler, a junior at Indiana University’s School of Journalism, says that internships are very important, and that she knows "two students that graduated IU’s Journalism School, one of whom now works at The Washington Post and the other at Target." She said that where these people are now depended largely on their internships and who they knew when working as an intern.

Students who easily obtain internships have a large range of talents for their employers to utilize. Unfortunately, because more employees know a broader set of skills, some newspapers have cut down on staff, as one person in a room with six computers can now do the work that six were previously hired to do.

Recently, ABC News cut more than 250 people from their Chicago staff, around 20%, while combining remaining employees from different sections of the office, said the New York Times, in an article on downsizing.

All of this makes journalism a competitive field, and many prospective college students decide to go into another related field, such as public relations. However, as Debnam said, “People who truly love journalism will fight for it." Plus, after some prospective students leave, the number of more competent graduates is increasing.

For high school students with their hearts set on journalism, Willis tells them to “work on the student paper at their school, go to workshops and conferences," and especially to "develop skills in areas that they aren’t comfortable in and get out of their comfort zone."

Rindler says that students should "learn to do everything, even if they’re not good at it, because that’s where the profession is going, and that will give you an edge as a professional."

"Even expert analyzers don’t really know where journalism is headed in the future," Debnam said, but "prospective journalism students should always be looking for opportunities, even as high schoolers.”