Question at high school career fairs: Does journalism have a future?

If you haven’t been to a high school career fair lately, here’s what you’re missing: Two hours in a noisy gym with polite young people gripping hand-outs they must complete (“What are the advantages of your job?”) and an affection for anything free – buttons, pens, bags.

Most have little notion of what they want to do as a career. Some will ask if journalism will still be around by the time they graduate from college. A few ask how soon they can zip through reporting and become columnists.

Here’s what I tell them about journalism. Its advantages are many. It’s always changing, always challenging. You learn to get to the point quickly, write clearly and be both engaging and precise. You’ll work with some of the brightest, funniest, most committed people you could possibly meet.

You’ll get to go places, meet people and see things you’d never experience otherwise. People trust you with their stories and you must honor that trust. You must learn to work well under pressure. Most days, you feel that your work makes a difference.

Then comes the question about disadvantages. Indeed, journalism has its share. The change these days isn’t just in the news. Journalism jobs are less secure. Specialization and in-depth reporting feel like a luxury. Social networking is as important as bylines. News operations must learn how to capitalize on the knowledge of the many and keep from being manipulated by special interests or overwhelmed by noise.

But we will continue to need reliable, timely information. We will continue to crave good stories. For young people with strong minds, entrepreneurial spirit, ferocious curiosity and the ability to keep learning, journalism remains a great adventure and high calling.