I am approaching the finish line and will graduate next month. But between now and then I have a lot of work to do and most of it I am looking forward to.

News21, of which I am a part, is coming to a conclusion — and my story is certainly due.

I am working on a multimedia final project, which I am very excited about. I will finally get to try out some of the skills I learned in the classroom.

Plus I continue to find stories on the Irish-American community here in Chicago.

I am not long home from a lengthy day of earnings reports and slot-person duty and so I sign off.

I faced the same questions last September when I finally took the plunge and decided graduate school was a good option. For me any journalism experience I had up to that point came from student newspapers and freelance writing. I felt that an intense 12 month program could sort out some of the gremlins in my writing and help me to become a better reporter. I think this is happening.

No matter what though journalism masters or not the task of getting a reporting job will be an uphill battle.

I met with a recruiter recently from a large news organization. They told me about a one-man bureau operated by a Florida-based newspaper. The reporter/bureau writes and edits their own stories and puts them up on the paper’s website. The reporter also takes their own photographs and can create graphics without assistance.

The recruiter was pleased when I said I could take my own photos. Hearing about this one-person operation in Florida urged me to sign up for a design course in news graphic over the summer.

The buzz word is “convergence” and more and more I see that as we go forward a larger knowledge base and skill set will be demanded. The one-person bureau is evidence of this.

These are the new expectations – the bar has been raised. But is it still in reach?