The story...
After Cheri Preston graduated from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, she parlayed her student radio experience into the radio director's job at a tiny station in Rantoul, Ill. Soon, she was working as news director at a larger station.

Her next stop on the career ladder was a station in Milwaukee, for which she worked as morning news anchor. Her hard work and excellent record as a journalist landed Preston a position at ABC Network News in New York City, where she does news updates at the top of the hour for ABC-affiliate stations.

At ABC News, Preston arrives two hours before her on-air shift to cull news items from various sources, go through the tape file for sound bites then write the stories for broadcast. Newscasts are typically three to five minutes long at the top of every hour with one-minute spots for the half-past marks.

Leslie Nichols, an associate producer at PBS' acclaimed Austin City Limits series, has also turned her media education into an interesting career. After graduating from University of Texas-Austin with a bachelor's in radio and TV in l990, Nichols went to Houston and worked as a production assistant at a film production company. Then, she worked her way up the corporate ladder at an Austin television station from administrative secretary to associate producer.

Her position gives her responsibility for many of the technical aspects of the show, as well as the chance to meet many of the show's guests. She is the point person for catering, travel arrangements, accommodations, contractual details and every other administrative aspect of an artist's appearance on the show.

"I never even dreamed that I would become a producer," Nichols says. "There were a lot of people with much more production experience than I had at the time, but I think my attitude and work ethic were key in earning this job. You never know who's observing your work or where and when opportunities will come!"

What you can do...
Armed with a bachelor's degree in broadcasting or journalism, you'll find many opportunities in print, broadcast or electronic media.

Want more info?
Check out WetFeet.com