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Factors A ecting Career Choices

By Chuck Dye

Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions you make in

your life. Researchers have found that many of the factors affecting career
choices quickly become apparent through honest self-reflection. Truthful
answers to questions about your interests, which careers you’re suited for,
where you want to live, how much the job pays and how you want to work
can be the keys to making a good career choice.

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Individual Factors
Many factors shape learning and development. These factors continue to play a role in the choices young
adults make about education and careers. According to the book "Development Through Life" by Barbara
M. Newman and Phillip R. Newman, these individual factors include "abilities, achievement needs, attitudes,
and self-expectancies." The authors contend that individual factors are the most influential in career choice.
Often a student who is better with language than art arrives at a career choice emphasizing this natural
talent for communication.

Socioeconomic Background
Scholars view the factor of socioeconomic background in our career decisions as pulling in two directions.
On one hand, your financial background might make certain education and career choices more difficult to
reach. On the other hand, those very same financial circumstances and expectations can make other
choices seem more possible. Particular careers or levels of income are among the most common
expectations factoring into our career choices.

Location
Many careers are affected by geography, which can play a factor in career choices in a number of ways. For
example, a young professional choosing a management career in retail packaged food will find most career
paths leading to Chicago, which is the center of the consumer packaged goods industry. An aspiring
magazine writer will find most career paths leading to New York and Los Angeles, where the majority of U.S.
magazines are headquartered. For some, location is the first factor in career choice, as they first choose
where to live and then look for available career options there.

Work-Life Balance
Unlike factors of ability and salary expectations, work-life balance and job satisfaction don’t become
apparent to many until one gains experience in the workforce. Other factors tend to be more recognizable in
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Count yourself among 5,200 broadcasters working as of May 2011, if you choose broadcasting as a career,
according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS. Broadcasters, who are also called reporters,
newscasters or news anchors, report the news on television and radio stations. You may specialize in
sports, human interest stories or world news, but your primary job is informing the public about current
happenings in specific markets. Communication and people skills as well as persistence will help you do the
job.

Job Description
Your outgoing nature can pay huge dividends as a broadcaster. This will help you research various topics
and events, and interview people with expertise on subject matter. A broadcaster jots down notes and later
writes commentary or stories for the morning or evening news. Expect to edit your material to fit time frames
and you will need to update stories periodically to report breaking news. You will use diagrams, charts or
graphics to capture your audience's interest.

Work Life
You never have a dull moment as a broadcaster. Most in the profession work full-time and work irregular
hours. News stories and natural disasters don't always occur during nine-to-five shifts. If you report on
national or international news, you may find yourself taking junkets to remote areas and spending time away
from family. Your expertise in weather phenomena and world events could occasionally put you in harm's
way.

Education And Training

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career choices from the earliest stages of the decision process. Job satisfaction and work-life balance
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become a factor as the drive for career achievement is eventually tempered by the rise of priorities away
from the workplace, such as travel or raising a family.

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Career As a Broadcaster
By Rick Suttle

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Experience working on your school's radio or TV station may be the perfect start for your broadcasting
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career. You will eventually need a bachelor's degree in journalism or communications, but it is possible to
get hired with an English or political science background. There are also master's degree programs in
journalism to broaden your employment opportunities. Delivering stories in interesting ways is what captures
viewers, so hone your skills by getting a job in a small broadcasting market or by participating in internship
programs.

Salary Ranges
An above average income awaits you in broadcasting after gaining years of experience. Salaries are also
contingent upon industry and geographical location. These professionals earn average annual incomes of
$76,370, according to the BLS. Those in the top 10 percent in earnings make over $159,530 annually. As for
specific media, a career in cable television broadcasting pays the highest average salary at $89,840. The
metropolitan areas with some of the highest pay scales include Miami, Boston, San Diego New York City
and San Francisco: $140,120, $131,680, $116,060, $95,250 and $93,470 per year, respectively.

Job Outlook
The BLS reports an expected decrease of 8 percent in jobs for broadcasters between 2010 and 2020. Many
news companies are merging, which creates fewer opportunities. The way the news is delivered is also
changing, as people can obtain information from the Internet, smart phones and electronic tablets. There
are also opportunities for online broadcasters.

Gannett, one of the largest media companies -- which owns newspapers, radio and television stations --
gets 25 percent of its revenue from digital media sources, according to October 2012 data from "USA
Today." And Gannett, like other companies, offsets revenue from traditional media sources with more online
broadcasting. This helped Gannett increase sales by 27 percent in the third quarter of 2012.

2016 Salary Information For Reporters, Correspondents, And Broadcast

News Analysts
Reporters, correspondents, and broadcast news analysts earned a median annual salary of $39,950 in
2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On the low end, reporters, correspondents, and
broadcast news analysts earned a 25th percentile salary of $28,640, meaning 75 percent earned more than
this amount. The 75th percentile salary is $63,820, meaning 25 percent earn more. In 2016, 50,400 people
were employed in the U.S. as reporters, correspondents, and broadcast news analysts.

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