Is Broadcasting Right for You? Take our Easy, Ten Question Quiz and find out!

If you're like many people, when you think about broadcasting, you think about what you see on the television: Bright lights, big stories, beautiful people. Broadcasting is more popular than ever now as a career, but maybe you are not sure if broadcasting is truly for you. To find out if broadcasting is really your dream career, take our informative ten question broadcasting quiz.

To begin, simply answer these ten easy questions and categorize yourself accordingly. Be honest! The answers to these questions could be an important arrow towards your vocational future.

1. Are you a person who craves excitement over routine? If you thrive under pressure, think quickly on your feet, and always know the right thing to say at the right time, then broadcasting is the place for you. If you are a more meditative person who likes ample time and flexible deadlines to work at your own pace, broadcasting may not be your field.
2. Would you prefer to work a normal nine to five job or varied hours that might include some evenings, early mornings, or weekends? When news happens, broadcasters are there to bring it to the world, and news doesn't wait until the typical workday has begun. Wildfires and riots happen late at night, early in the morning, and on weekends too. If you're the kind of person who likes to segment your life and your work into mutually exclusive slots, don't choose broadcasting for a career.
3. Does criticism help you learn or hurt your feelings? Broadcasting is not for the thin- skinned. Successful broadcasters got where they are by being able to get their point across in a short amount of time. For this reason they are generally blunt, to-the-point people and if this offends you, you are better off in a career that values social civility more than facts and honesty. For an up-and-coming broadcaster, constructive criticism is an essential building block in your career, and should be lapped up and learned from, not taken personally.
4. Would you prefer a job that paid a lot to begin, but with little increase potential, or a job that pays less at the beginning with a potential future six figure salary? It's a fact that a beginning career in broadcasting probably pays less than most entry-level positions in other fields. Chances are, fresh out of school, your friends will be making more money than you. But broadcasting does offer a lot of advancement potential and opportunities, and therefore the possibility of significantly better pay. If you can't wait to get out of school and start making $30,000 a year, do not choose broadcasting as a career. If you are someone who is satisfied with a low starting salary and the potential to increase, choose broadcasting.
5. Are your motives for getting a job more idealistic or practical? As alluded to in earlier questions, if your motivations for getting a job include working an average day's work, bringing home a paycheck, and never taking your job home with you, forget about a broadcasting career right away. Broadcasting is for the strictly idealistic, and anyone who wants to get into it because of some idea of glamour or fortune will have a sad awakening. Successful broadcasters go into broadcasting because of an ideal; they want a career in seeking truth, helping people, and contributing to public enlightenment. These are the only acceptable motives for getting into broadcasting. If these are not your motives, do not consider a broadcasting career.
6. How involved do you desire to become with your co-workers? Because of the in-depth nature of broadcasting, news staffs are generally more closely knit than those in the traditional office environment. Maybe that's why they are often referred to as 'crews'. Broadcasting is highly collaborative, with intense unity of design, vocals, audio, writing, and graphics necessary to make a broadcast work. Since each element of broadcast is equally important, it is vital and extremely beneficial to have a close-knit and cooperative staff environment. This sense of chummy camaraderie is one of the best things about working in broadcasting, so if you're the kind of person who is wary of colleagues beyond a strictly water cooler basis, beware of broadcasting, a career notorious to have you and your colleagues passed out on the same desk or staking out the same 6 a.m beat jammed into a minivan.
7. Do you like traveling for work? Would you be willing to relocate for work? In addition to flexibility of time, broadcasting requires flexibility of place. You have to follow the news, when it breaks, where it breaks. You are the world's most dedicated news groupie. Also, a better job often equates to relocation in the broadcasting world. Therefore, if you are the kind of person for whom travel is an impediment more than a vocational perk, or if you are deeply attached to the region in which you live, consider a more geographically stable profession.
8. What kind of familial or relational responsibilities do you have? If you are married or have children, have you seriously talked over the implication of your broadcasting career with your family and friends? Many broadcasters go on to have extremely successful careers and family lives, but only if their spouse and family are supportive. One of the hardest truths of broadcasting is that it can require a lot of time away from home, often unexpectedly. Make sure your career choice is in keeping with your domestic desires and roles before going into broadcasting.
9. At a party, are you more of a center stage type or a wallflower? This is actually a trick question. Both types of party personalities can be valuable in broadcasting. This question just helps you to decipher which kind of broadcasting is better for you. If you prefer center stage, on air positions like anchoring or reporting are probably best for you. If you prefer the sidelines, studying the crowd and observing what's going on, behind- the-scenes broadcasting, such as news writing or producing, might be more up your alley.
10. Are you a person for whom acquiring knowledge is a hobby? Do you read mysteries, watch the Discovery Channel, and do crossword puzzles in you spare time? If a thirst for knowledge is not a paramount aspect of your personality, broadcasting is not for you. The world of broadcasting hinges on that 'news buzz', that non-stop curiosity that causes you to guess and second-guess the motives and logic behind everything that happens around you. Creative imaginings and constant conspiracy theories are a natural occupational hazard of broadcasting, and if you don't have at least a little dose of detective in you, broadcasting is probably not the career for you.

While not foolproof, we hope this cool and interactive quiz has given you a thought-provoking glimpse into what it really takes to be a broadcaster, and whether it's right for you. Good luck!