In between dreams and disillusionments – visions of jobs

Last week, my friend and I got invested in a conversation with the guys sitting next to us on the train from Nuremberg to Munich. Indeed, our chat was so interesting that it lasted for the full two-hour ride. The two guys were from Albania and Kosovo and, by chance, they are also studying at LMU. Unlike us though, they will stay for their whole master’s and even plan to extend their stay for a PHD. We talked about our previous studies, our work experiences and living situations, and, finally, our dream jobs.

I was astonished that despite our completely different backgrounds, we could instantly bond over our current situation: being foreign students at the end of our master’s, without a clear next destination in sight. A blank slate that leaves us excited and curious, but also sometimes terrified.

My friend from Norway wants to become a lawyer, but he is not yet sure in what country and in which field. The student from Albania wants to become a professor in Munich, but he does not know yet if his visa will be accepted. His friend from Kosovo, on the other hand, studied journalism but aims to pursue a different career in Germany. However, he is clueless in what field that will be. I envision myself working in journalism in Switzerland or a country nearby, but there are many reasons that cause me to doubt this prospect. Will we be able to follow our dreams and will these even turn out as envisioned, or just as illusions of a harsher reality?

What if the dream does not pay off?

The day before the encounter on the train, I was sitting in my journalistic seminar at LMU, where we discussed the earnings of journalists in Germany. Our lecturer, an editor-in-chief at a local newspaper, revealed that starting as a trainee at his paper, one earns around 2000 euros gross. After two years, this will be raised to 2300, and as an “educated” journalist, one can climb from 3200 to 4200 euros; the latter being the salary after 10 years of work experience. As an editor-in-chief, one earns around 6300 euros. This position, however, is inhabited by a small percentage of journalists, and additionally, clearly biased towards men. So, what does this mean for young women like me who want to go into journalism after their degree? Working Students, who have made first experiences in journalism on a voluntary basis and are meant to earn less with their first position than with their student jobs.

When a student confronted the lecturer that this salary won’t cover the cost of living in a city like Munich, he simply replied: “I know. Our current trainee told me the same, but we simply have no other options.” He admitted that in comparison to journalism, one earns double the amount when starting a position as a spokesperson, for instance at the Bayerischer Landtag. After the seminar, the class left in a general air of frustration. What if the dream job simply does not allow to live a decent life? Is it still worth pursuing or should one start to look for alternatives in the first place?  

The features of a dream job

When I think of a dream job, I think of passion and a sense of entitlement. However, I also think of being able to live a good life; to have time and money for leisure, art, and occasional holidays. I don’t need to become rich, otherwise I would have probably chosen a different educational path. But I want to be able to pay my bills without constantly worrying about getting by. More importantly: I want to feel appreciated and paid fairly for my work. If I find a job that fulfils these criteria, I am ready and motivated to dedicate my time and energy to it, and thus I will do it well and help the institution to thrive. That’s the blueprint of my vision.

More concretely, I would love to be part of a newsroom of a renowned media company. I want to write informative, educative, and intriguing articles. I want to give people a platform and raise awareness for serious issues. I want to experiment with style and formats, I want to do multimedia productions; take pictures, produce podcasts and make videos. If all jobs were paid the same, I would love to become a full-time journalist, maybe in Switzerland, maybe in Germany.

However, if I look at the current distribution of income between fields of work, I am not yet sure if I will stake everything on this card. More realistically thinking, I will probably try to find a job that pays a stable income and, additionally, try to work part-time at a newspaper or magazine. If there will be such an option. When someone asks me what I want to become, I simply reply: “I will see what there is on the market.” I don’t want to get my expectations too high.

“If the dream does not work out, I’ll find something else”

In an interview I made for a student paper in Munich, my interviewee said: “Munich needs more visions, and the courage to bring them to life”. I think this might also apply for job wishes. Finally, I was touched by the sense of optimism of the student on the train, who said: “I hope to stay in Munich and find a job here. But if that doesn’t work out, I know that I will find something else”.