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I've had a Bachelor's degree since 2007. I majored in journalism and got two tv internships. I was unable to find entry-level, full-time work in the media/publishing field in any way, shape, or form, though I have plenty of classmates that have. I thought I would find good paying work in the NYC area, but I have not been able to. The last job I had (a two week temp job as a bagchecker at a college bookstore) I could have gotten with a GED and it paid $8.50/hour. The first week I worked 13 hours, the second week, I worked 15 hours. Almost everyone I know (with college degree and without) makes more money than me.
I was offered the chance to work as a paralegal, which was the most paying job I had to date, two years ago. The firm didn't want to train me, so they let me go. I took a drug counseling (my mom's idea) for one year. I finished it and got an unpaid internship at a treatment center where I answered the phone all day, filed, learned nothing, and got no travel reimbursement. In between that I substituted in schools, I thought $150/day, that's great money, but I only worked three days the entire school year in 2009. I have worked in group homes with the disabled, again that's another job that requires a GED and pays only $9. I have been rejected from Made in NY (tv/movie production training) and New York Teaching Fellows.
The job I've had since the beginning of the year, tutoring, pays very little and is seasonal. I am listed as an independent contractor with them, which means no unemployment insurance (I didn't make enough money in six months (!) to qualify anyway).
I took a summer job as a commission only telemarketer, sending people college info over the phone. I already regret taking out all these loans, now my family expects me to be fully independent and take care of myself. All my friends have cars, I would like to move out because I'm 25, but it's impossible with no steady job. I have been on interviews for unpaid online media internships and I can't even get those. I have been to networking dinners and parties with young media professionals- it got me an interview at a marketing company, but the interviewer pointed out my tutoring/subbing experience, I don't know if that's good or bad. My two media internships are also on my resume.
I know people with technical skills are the only people that make decent money in NYC. Does anyone know of any teaching/tutoring jobs that pay well? That's the only field I can get job interviews these days. Maybe I have to make up jobs in my resume to get into a field that pays more I have no clue.
What can you do that makes it worth it for a company to pay you? If they pay you $35K/year and it costs them $50K a year (benefits, etc) will you make that company at least $50K a year?
Or, can some dude in India do it for half as much?
Are you willing to relocate to somewhere else in the US?
Keep doing the networking. Have you had someone look over your resume? Maybe a contact that you've made in the industry could give you feedback. If you are listing a lot of short jobs that are unrelated to your dream job, that could scare people off.
If you have 'plenty of classmates' who have jobs, and you have not been able to land a job, then it must not be your education. Could be your location or something about yourself that people are not enthusiastic about. Have you talked to any of your classmates and asked them to evaluate your appearance, mannerisms and your resume? Good luck.
Media jobs have never been easy and now they are almost impossible. Very few people start out in a major market like NYC. You have to work somewhere else first. If that's what you really want to do, you will probably have to be willing to move.
Have you applied for radio jobs? That's another thing I would probably do.
The whole field of print journalism as we knew it is dead. It is in the process of reinventing itself into the internet age. Do you know anyone who still subscribes to a newspaper? There are a lot of experienced people out of work and little demand for new writers.
I would also suggest you talk to these successful classmates and find out how they got their jobs. And ask if they can help you too!
And good for you that you are willing to work hard and do other things to make ends meet.
My friend's daughter graduated from UC Santa Barabara in June - thought she had a job working for a magazine in LA, but the hiring manager left & the job evaporated with it. So she left for NYC for a month paid by parents; she hit the street looking for a job in media & landed one at a NYC mag publisher. She hustled for it - no connections there. But she is smokin' hot, so to speak; that didn't hurt.
And just so you don't think you are alone out there.
A friend of mine moved cross country for a great job with a radio station in California. Only to find they had run out of funding after she got there. Now she is stuck in a place with a very high cost of living and no job.
Another man I know has years of radio experience, announcer, news, reporter, writer. And he can't find anything in the field even including the secondary markets. And he has worked in NYC before.
Journalism, hah. Try elance, they'll pay you 3 dollars an hour for an article Will help to be in India.
New media = blogs and a few large corps, = a few people making money and a lot of people doing it for free..., the rest of the content is outsourced, both the writing and the editing. This thing called the internet that you are typing on happened.
Know somebody in the business? Yeah OK good luck. I can't believe all these J schools still operate, academic dinosaurs.
Journalism, hah. Try elance, they'll pay you 3 dollars an hour for an article Will help to be in India.
New media = blogs and a few large corps, = a few people making money and a lot of people doing it for free..., the rest of the content is outsourced, both the writing and the editing. This thing called the internet that you are typing on happened.
Know somebody in the business? Yeah OK good luck. I can't believe all these J schools still operate, academic dinosaurs.
How else does a 20 something recent college grad get a job in broadcasting without knowing someone in the business????
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Will help to be in India. 
