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Reasons to Work for The College Voice

As an extra-curricular activity The College Voice provides a demanding and fast-paced work environment that is not for everyone. Many students come, stay for a meeting or two and then leave. However, students with strong communications and time management skills tend to enjoy what the Voice has to offer. Students who are self-motivated and who enjoy reading, politics, and playing Trivial Persuit tend to do particularly well at the Voice. Slackers don't last long. Although no staffer is required to contribute to every issue of the Voice and there is flexibility to the schedule, the Voice does require a significant time commitment. Expect to devote 1 hour per week to meeting time and usually another 2-3 hours to writing and reporting each week. You will need a cellphone and an email address. A car helps but is not a requirement by any means.

Take this brief quiz to determine if The Voice will be a good fit for you:

What do I get out of working for the Voice?

TRAINING Voice staffers receive significant training from media professionals in all areas of writing, reporting, photography, advertising, law & ethics, and design.
RESUME ENHANCEMENT The Voice turns out an actual product and your contributions can be turned into a strong entry under the "Work Experience" category of your resume, and can provide you with "clips" to create a solid professional portfolio. Check out the alumni page to see how Voice staffers have used their work on the paper to help propell them into successful academic and professional careers.
CHANCE FOR RECOGNITION That English paper you just wrote isn't going to win you any awards, but the articles you write for the Voice may. Work from the Voice is entered into state, regional and national competitions each year, including: the New Jersey Collegiate Press Association awards, the College Media Advisers' Apple awards, the Society of Professional Journalists' Mark of Excellence Awards, and the Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Awards. Voice staffers have won awards in all three major categories of journalism: writing, photography and design.
COMERADERIE Community colleges, by nature of their commuter population, can seem cold and impersonal. Making friends and making connections with faculty memebers may seem difficult. The College Voice is a great place for smart, civic minded students to find a supportive community. The Voice's newsroom has several computer work stations and comfy chairs and provides a great place to hang out between classes.
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES Motivated staffers qualify to be considered by the faculty advisers to attend the annual retreat at Asbury Park, NJ and to attend the fall and spring College Media Adviser's conventions. The CMA conventions require preparation and commitment but allow students to stay at a hotel, interact with hundreds of other student journalists from around the nation, network with media professionals, and have their work critiqued on site.
ELIGIBILITY FOR INTERNSHIPS + SCHOLARSHIPS There a many internships and scholarships available for students with a strong background in journalism and media. Voice advisers work closely with dedicated staffers to help them find and apply for scholarships and internships that will help them achieve their long-term career goals.