Hey guys,

Anyone have any suggestions for breaking into the automotive journalism industry? I work in the post production special effects industry (making movies look pretty ) right now, but I don't really enjoy what I do. I've always had a desire to work for a car magazine and I want to try my hand at automotive journalism. Does anyone have any advice for getting started? Besides big publications like Motor Trend, where else should I look? Any help would be very much appreciated! Thanks!

Jim

 

i read somewhere on one of them magazines that you need to have an engineering background

 

Yep - engineering background is preferred, but extensive racing/test driving experience will also get you in.

 

Why would you want to be penny-less for the rest of your life?

 

if you want to work for the big3 (Car and driver, road and track, motor trend), you will almost certainly need an engineering degree. C&D is the most strict on this i hear. i think with a racing background, R&T is the best bet, yet far from a given. for motor trend, you just need to show preference for domestics

 

Yeah, oddly enough, I've never heard anything regarding needing a Journalism degree when writing for an auto mag... its amazing the people write as well as they do!

 

one of the substitute teachers at my highschool worked for a magazine company and test drove cars