Steve Coll Interview: Conversations with History; Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley
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One final question. Looking back on the story that you've just told us and your sharing with us your own experience as a journalist, how would you advise students to prepare for the future if they want to address some of these problems as a journalist, as a foreign correspondent?
In the end, you have to do the work that matters. I know that sounds sort of abstract, but so many people think about journalism as where do I get a job, and where can I find a career, and so forth. I'm not suggesting that it's easy, but the people who I've seen over the years invent themselves and invent the space to do work in, valuable work, usually start by just going out and doing it. You can go abroad as a stringer and a correspondent, if you do it in a careful and deliberate way, and get out into the world and just start doing this reporting. Find a way to do it. Journalism is different from law and medicine in the sense that you don't need a license. All you really need is determination, talent, personality, and a little bit of support. And while you can't go out cold, without any journalistic experience, and expect to make a success of yourself, on the other hand, you don't have to do seven years of residency in order to go out and start doing useful work.
Steve, on that note, I want to thank you very much for coming to Berkeley, lecturing and participating in our program. Thank you.
Thank you, Harry. Thanks very much.
And thank you very much for joining us for this Conversation with History.
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