The Internet has opened up a whole new world for certain professions, and journalism is one of them. As a result, there are many more journalist positions going all over the world than ever before. Unfortunately more people are looking to get into the profession as well. As a result, you do need to have an edge to get noticed and get ahead. Along with writing talent, you need to have a CV to back it up, and no CV is complete without a good educational background. It seems that editors want the full package these days and writing experience combined with a good educational foundation gives them just what they are looking for. So, as a result, if you want to get yourself noticed then it could be a good idea to consider a journalism course sooner rather than later!
Whether you are fresh out of school, pursuing an alternative career or writing alongside a day job at the moment, there is a journalism course out there for you. You can choose from a variety of night courses, distance learning, part time courses and full time courses, all of which offer various qualifications and course content so that you can choose what you want and need and tailor your education to those ends!
Journalism courses may last anywhere from weeks to years depending on the level. There are also writing workshops that can be of benefit to aspiring writers. These workshops tend to tour the country and may only visit a certain area once or twice. Short term evening courses are more regular and many adult education colleges offer these each Spring and Autumn in the form of creative writing and journalism intro courses.
Shorter journalism courses tend to deal solely with certain aspects of journalism, including photographic media, broadcasting skills, writing for magazines and visual media. They tend to deal with one specific aspect of each of these areas and are meant for offering an introduction into the area or honing certain skills rather than giving you a comprehensive overview. More long-term courses actually look at journalism in far more depth and give you a firmer foundation to build a career upon. These courses tend to include the history of media, social studies, shorthand, media law, layout, design, news media, sports journalism, reporting, business journalism, online journalism, freelancing, creative writing, video production and any number of other elements that could help to advance your career.
Another option is to train on the job. There are apprenticeships available today but they often require starting at the very beginning as an office junior. These places are very few and far between so education may well seem like the best option. As there are so many courses to choose from, it is probably more viable to choose one of those than hold out for an office job.
The career paths that extend from a journalism course are plentiful, both within the media industry and outside of it. You could choose to go into publishing, public speaking, public relations, marketing, advertising and a number of other fields. However, should you choose to stick within the media then you will probably be choosing from the following – broadcast journalist, magazine journalist, news reporter, columnist, editor, press officer, researcher and other news and media related roles.
The following institutions and journalism courses may be of interest to you and provide a good starting point for your research
• http://www.dit.ie – Dublin Institute Of Technology – MA Journalism – If you have a degree in journalism or another related discipline then this may be the course to get you into the field.
• http://www.cmit.ie – College of Management and IT – Diploma in Freelance Journalism – A distance learning course that can give you the way in you want around your current job.
• http://www.dcu.ie – Dublin City University – A selection of Masters and Bachelors degrees, both full and part time.
Findacourse.ie lists a range of Literature & Journalism courses on the Literature and journalism course listings page
Distance Learning and Online Courses are offered in a number of different formats, these include correspondence courses (by post), online via computer or a combination of online and classroom instruction (blended learning).. View 
Further Education and PLCs (Post Leaving Cert Courses) have become a popular alternative to the CAO system here in Ireland. PLC Courses are validated by QQI (Quality & Qualifications Ireland) at levels 5 & 6 of the NFQ.. View 
Evening courses and part time learning options are a great way to enhance a CV, to socialise and make friends, as well as learn something completely new. There are an abundance of night courses and evening classes available.. View