Need some help mentoring a young man

[fortyfeetunder]

I have a relative, young guy, early 20's that is majoring in communications . His goal is to be a broadcast journalist. He's made the Dean's list at the school he attends

His family situation is he has a deadbeat dad, and his mother, well, just as bad. He lives with his grandma. Grandma had saved $$$$.$$ for the kid's education but the dad allegedly stole it all during his last mooching visit. So now the kid works and go to school. The kid is thinking about going into the military so he can get money for education and pay for his bills..

the two things that concern me:
I don't know why the kid is NOT applying for financial aid; knowing his financial situation, he'd be a shoo-in for a full scholarship.

Given his major , which I believe is pretty competitive, think he needs some real connections to even get a foot in the door. I did lead him to a relative of ours who works for a newspaper. IMHO, he is going to need more than a BS degree to make a difference in this field

If you have any questions or leads, PM me. I don't want to give all the details out in the open. I just want to see the guy succeed and not be cannon fodder overseas. Thanks in advance

[Tina H]

1. a deadbeat mom and a thieving dad, that is sad

Maybe a year driving a newspaper truck or as a legal assistant would make grad school seem more attractive to him.

Best wishes and good vibes.

[gmoney]

2. Well, if he's not resourceful enough...

Sorry to say it, but if he's not curious & resourceful enough to research getting free money to go to school, he's not going to be much of a journalist anyway. Of course, if he's handsome enough to be on broadcast TV, he should be OK in any field.

Media consolidation is going to make journalism a very tight career field... maybe he should take Richard Clarke's advice and become a beaurocrat. Could be more effective way to influence public policy and help make the world a better place.

[fortyfeetunder]

4. You do have a point on resourcefulness

That is the part I don't get. He lives in a semi-rural area and I can't figure out for the life of me why he hasn't milked the system. His grandma isn't in the best of health so I know her resources are limited.

Yeah, I am going to be feeding him e-mail on a regular basis so he get's a clue. I haven't seen the kid in several years, so I can't vouch on his looks.

[TNMOM]

3. I got into journalism

by compiling clips that showed off my work. You can't get a job without them. Does this guy work on the campus station (radio or TV)? Has he applied for any internships? Anything he can do to add experience will help make him more marketable. If he's looking to broaden his job opportunities, another field he might want to consider is public relations... Either way, he's going to have to have clips (video, audio or print) to get in. Most every media outlet of a decent size has internships....

[fortyfeetunder]

5. Thanks -- I will pass this along to him

you confirmed what I figured out -- he really needs to have a portfolio started if he even thinks he has a chance in the market after graduation. I will pass that information to him and see if he does something with it.