Education · 1 of 5

The path

Four years of college and, more importantly, two or three real internships inside them.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Write for the school paper, run a club's social accounts, help a local campaign. Anything where you produced something public.

2. 2

   Bachelor's degree

   4 years

   Public relations, communications, journalism, marketing or English. The major matters less than the writing samples you leave with.

3. 3

   Internships

   Summers during the degree

   Two or three, at an agency, a nonprofit and a company if you can. This is where the job offers come from.

4. 4

   First role

   1 to 2 years

   Account coordinator or communications assistant. Media lists, monitoring, drafting, event logistics, and a lot of proofreading.

5. 5

   Own your accounts

   Year 3 onward

   You pitch reporters yourself, write the plan, and answer for what happens when a story goes wrong.