Do I really want to be a Journo??

The more I look at becoming a Journalist - or anything related to the media industry - the more disillusioned and disinterested I become. Nowhere else seems to have such low starting salaries and the long road to finally doing interesting work. And it seems it is never well paid - unless you get one of the coveted positions as an editor/Senior Writer for a really big publication - or get a name for yourself...

I have interviewed for a few positions - ones in journalism but not anything near the area I am interested in - and gotten nowhere. The entry level positions pay rubbish, and I can only ever get a look in for Finance type positions because of my Economics degree. (And i am NOT that interested in working in that kind of field). It seems even in 5-10 years I couldn't expect to be earning a reasonable wage to start a family etc - I saw a position advertised as an editor, which required experience as an editor and Journalist (meaning 5+ years in the industry) and it only paid $45k anyway! Come on! I can get that straight out in a Communications position in a graduate program! I wonder how different it would be to become specialised in Copywriting and Organisational comms work (including PR stuff) as opposed to straight Journalism - and how the avenues into Arts writing compares....

hmmm.

I don't want to think of only money - of course an enjoyable job is more important than incredible money - but enough money to live and plan the future on would be nice!

what to do... what to do...

Maybe it is just the frustration of being knocked back for positions I feel capable and qualified for (even over-qualified), but its getting annoying. I am really glad to have gotten the offers and opportunities I have to date - but trying to envisage the best path to where I want to be in the future is very difficult. My dream job is writing about film, the industry and film criticism, for a good magazine, and being respected as a top critic in Australia. WIth that, of course I would hope to earn a suitable wage to live comfortably and raise a family. So how to get there? Start making coffee in a film studio? Answering phones and filing at an arts magazine or a junior journo at a mortgage magazine - or as a copy writer or communications consultant for a state or federal agency? Which one will facilitate a smooth (or the smoothest) transition into this? And is this a realistic goal given the limited number of positions such as this going in Australia - or in any major city...? Perhaps being a critic would be really annoying - having to sit through and review films that I normally wouldn't bother with... maybe it would take the joy out of film appreciation... who knows? I Guess I will keep applying for positions that grab my attention now, or seem to offer an interesting career path, and see what offers I accumulate by the end of the year then pick.... And hopefully my skin with continue to thicken in regards to the humbling tide of rejections.