Journalism Education and Career Readiness: Recent Graduates’ Perceptions of Their Preparation for Professional Practice

Journalism programs operate within structures designed for a media ecosystem that no longer exists. This qualitative study examines how 13 U.S. graduates who completed degrees between 2021 and 2025 perceive their preparation. Participants credited their programs with durable foundations in critical thinking, writing, and deadline discipline. They described gaps in adaptability, source cultivation, business knowledge, and platform literacy, and nearly all recalled no coursework on artificial intelligence. Participants valued applied experience most and described personal networks as central to finding work. Awareness of program resources depended on informal relationships, extending hidden curriculum critique into daily program operation.