There’s no getting away from it, you’ll need qualifications to fulfil your ambition – it’s almost impossible to become a working journalist without them.

Unless of course you aim to become what many TV stations are beginning to call a ‘citizen journalist’, in which case you probably won’t be paid anything, you’ll waive all your rights to the story/picture you’re sending them so they can syndicate them worldwide without paying you a penny, plus you could be held responsible for any inaccuracies or infringements of media law.

To become a real journalist you’ll need to demonstrate enthusiasm for your chosen career by getting some work experience in your chosen field even before you apply for a job, or a place at university or college.

Journalism has become a mainly graduate profession and a large number of practising journalists hold postgraduate qualifications. However, there is still a strong option of direct entry after A’levels for apprenticeship schemes, career change training through NCTJ courses, and on the job training in local newspapers.

Journalism is undergoing an acceleration of change with a rapid decline in newspaper reading circulation, newspaper title closures, the growth of online only journalism platforms, and a morphing between traditional broadcasting and newspaper print journalism into a multimedia industry.