27-year-old Lisa Muller, born and raised in Amsterdam, has just started a minor in International Journalism. Currently, she works as a junior marketeer, but her passion for writing has led her to enrol in this minor. “I like my job as a junior marketeer. It’s a completely different side of communications compared to journalism. I like a bit of a challenge, and the fact that HVA (Hogeschool van Amsterdam) offers this minor in English definitely caught my eye.”
By Iris Geerardyn
The decision to combine this minor with her work as a junior marketeer came naturally, Lisa says. “I have always combined my studies with a job on the side, it’s the best of both worlds, really. In total I work around 16 to 20 hours a week, so I can definitely manage the workload.”
According to Lisa, journalism will definitely survive, albeit in a more diverse way than 10 years ago. “We are constantly adding new technologies and ways of communicating. Journalism is also expanding. If you look at Virtual Reality for instance, it’s being used more and more often in journalistic ways as well. In its earlier days, VR was mostly a technology that was used in games etc. Now news reporters can also use VR as a way of bringing the news to the audience in a captivating, immersive way.” However journalism will evolve through the years, the need of journalism is undisputed, says Lisa. “Through high quality journalism, we know what is happening on the other side of the world. In that way, journalism definitely plays an important role in bringing countries together.”
If Lisa were to fast forward to five years from now, she would most likely want to work for a magazine, or blog for companies. Although news in general doesn’t really excite her, technology and economics do spark her interest. “I like to read about environmental issues such as climate change and how we ourselves can contribute to a more sustainable future through big or small changes in our behaviour and lifestyle. On the other hand, I’m interested in technology. The newest features, research … it’s ever-changing, so you never run out of things to write about.”