What's It Like To Be That Major? What's It Like To Be That Major?
Description of each major in the communication field.
Learning in All Seasons: Summer and Winter Terms Learning in All Seasons: Summer and Winter Terms
Information about summer and winter terms.
Real Life, Right Now: The Alumni Experience Real Life, Right Now: The Alumni Experience
Alumni talk about post-college experiences.
What Class is That? What Class is That?
A detailed description your upcoming classes.
Real Life, Right Now cont'd...
Sara Siekierski's Experience

Life on the Beat

Now, Sara is a reporter for the Beloit Daily News. She writes mainly about the city government, but also writes about other topics when needed. She works Monday through Friday and one weekend a month. She works from 7:15 to 4:15; but most journalists can tell you, the schedule is subject to change depending on what’s happening in the world of news. Sara finds writing for the Beloit Daily News very rewarding. She was raised in Beloit and felt familiar with the community growing up, but working as a reporter has shown her a deeper side of the town. “Being a reporter in Beloit has really shown me what a special community I live in,” she says. “The people here are wonderful and always have such great stories to tell.” Journalism isn’t always perfect -- Sara says that she doesn’t like to write bad news. “I’d rather never have to write about a fire, murder or any crisis for that matter, but that’s part of the job.” As a reporter, it can be impossible to please everyone, and Sara doesn’t find it pleasant when readers respond negatively to her writing. She also wishes that the newsroom would add one extra reporter to the relatively small staff at the Beloit Daily News. Overall, though, she finds her work to be satisfying and enjoyable.

Big Plans for the Future

Sara plans to return to UWW this fall to earn a master’s degree in Mass Communication. She’ll also be working as a Graduate Instructional Assistant, helping to teach Speech 110. After earning her master’s degree, she wants to go on to earn a Ph.D. in Communication and teach college-level communications courses. She says, “My communication professors helped shape me into the person I am today, and I want to do the same for my students.”

Advice for Students

Sara suggests that you apply to as many jobs as possible, even to companies that aren’t hiring. She also recommends not limiting yourself to jobs that fit your major perfectly. “Communication students receive an education that teaches them the skills required to do a number of jobs . . . As a communication student, you’re a good writer, speaker, leader, analyzer, researcher, and a whole host of other things. There’s a lot you can do, so don’t just limit yourself to one job or one field.” She also recommends networking as much as you can and attending job fairs.


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