If you want a well-rounded understanding of the basic skills needed in most fields these days, then studying journalism will give you that.

Every field requires writing at some level. Regardless of the field you choose, whether it's medical, engineering, science or anything in between there will always be a need for someone who writes well. As a journalism major, you'll be taught how to write in a compelling, concise and interesting way - skills that make you stand out in any field. Journalism professors are more concerned about grammar skills than most English composition professors, at least the ones I came across. You'll also learn valuable research skills that can help in any field. You can also use these research skills to find information about people, or impress friends and family.

You'll learn basic photography, videography and editing skills. These are skills that are helpful in our everyday lives and open up another field that you could get into. If you're the entrepreneurial type, these skills can help you compete with other YouTubers, and give you another skill set that you can use.

You'll improve your time management skills and learn to be punctual. These are life skills, but they're also very good to have in any work environment. Being on time is one of the cornerstones of journalism. It's a competitive field where if you waste time, you lose. To be able to handle the tasks you're given, you'll force yourself to be more punctual and manage your time better.

Studying journalism will teach you ethics, honesty and caring. The field of journalism is very strict about being honest and truthful. Ethics is mentioned in every class and you're given a code of ethics to follow. Caring is an important feature of a journalist's job, without it, you won't be very successful in the field. Caring is something that is impressed upon during your course of study. Along with an understanding of ethics, you will feel more responsible for everyone around you. At least that's what I felt after taking the "Principles of Journalism" class.

If you're an introvert you'll learn to overcome any trepidation or fear of talking to strangers. I'm more of an introvert and didn't feel comfortable asking strangers interrogative questions. But when my professor gave me an assignment I wanted to get an 'A', so I quickly overcame my anxiety and forced myself to go out there and talk to people. It took some practice, but I was able to overcome my fears and realized that there was really nothing to be afraid of. As a result, I feel more confident.

At the University of Central Florida, there's a mobile journalism class that teaches you how to use social media and your phone to do journalism. Basically teaches you to write compelling stories with graphics using just your phone. This class is starting to be taught at other universities but ours is the pioneer. These skills can help you land a job, not only in journalism but also in advertising or public relations. These days everything needs advertising. This is one of the classes where you'll be using to build your portfolio, something all journalism majors are required to have. The articles you write to build your portfolio are a way of getting name recognition, and you can add it to your resume!

You'll become more observant of your surroundings and better informed of what's happening, at least within your area. Some classes require you to follow the news, but doing journalism requires you to know what's going on in your area. Another skill you can use to impress your friends or find places/events that you can go to.

Finally, you'll never be bored learning journalism. It's an exciting field that teaches hands-on skills and makes you get out of your comfort zone and experience the world. Other fields that teach writing, don't require much hands-on work. If you plan to go to law school journalism is a very good choice to get your undergraduate degree in. If you know what you want to study good luck! But if not try journalism out. I'm sure you'll not be disappointed.