A degree in journalism is a step in the right direction for thousands of Kenyans who aspire to join the media industry and pursue their specific passion in the sector.
While many have achieved a lot in the industry thanks to their educational background in the media, a huge chunk of Kenyans has equally accomplished admirable success without having pursued journalism as their first degree.
The Media Council of Kenya makes it a requirement for one to have some level of education in journalism before being an accredited journalist.
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The requirement seeks to ensure professionalism and adherence to the code of conduct among media practitioners.
But how have many media houses been able to spot impeccable talents from people lacking initial training in the media?
This writer combed through several pieces of information and discovered that while some got themselves into the industry 'accidentally', some media houses got the best talents deliberately through projects such as media labs.
Media labs in this context mean a process in which a media house identifies talents, trains them and later deploy them in its various departments.
Media labs opportunities are not restricted to those who only pursued journalism but it is open to all with interest.
After thorough examinations and a series of interviews, these media houses are able to identify promising talents.
The talents are trained and given hands-on experience that enables them to manoeuvre this delicate media industry with ease.
Regardless of how they joined the media industry, many without a first degree in journalism have achieved much, so much so, that one is left asking whether a first degree in journalism is a worthy course.
Here is a list of top media personalities who never did journalism as their first-degree course but have achieved a lot in the media:
Joe Ageyo- Citizen TV
The Citizen TV's Editorial Director first pursued a Bachelors Degree in Agribusiness Management, Agricultural Economics, and Business Management at Egerton University. He later Pursued a post-graduate diploma in Mass communication.
Wahiga Mwaura-Citizen TV
Citizen TV's Special Projects Editor first pursued a Bachelors's Degree in Computer Science at African Nazarene University. He is yet to announce whether he has now done a postgraduate degree diploma or a degree in media.
Yvonne Okwara- Citizen TV
She studied Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, Zoology, Botany and Chemistry at JKUAT. She is also yet to reveal whether she has taken further education in the media field. Yvonne is a news anchor and Business Editor at Citizen TV.
Ken Mijungu- KTN News
He holds a Bachelor of Law degree from Moi University. It is not known whether he pursued a course in media after joining the industry.
Julie Gichuru- Formerly of Citizen TV
She holds a Bachelor of Law degree and a master's in business administration- international business and world trade law. She worked at Citizen TV as a news anchor.
