A journalist must possess three types of skills:

1. Physical strength

Firstly, a journalist must possess sound health and should be physically fit. Journalism is an exacting field and it is not meant for people with delicate health and a weak body. A journalist has no fixed hours of work; one may be expected to work for the whole day and may be the whole night too. Also, a journalist does not only work out of a cabin, he or she is expected to be on the field as and when required. Lunch hours are not fixed and nor are sleep schedules. All in all, journalism can exhaust the body and the soul. Hence, it is imperative that a journalist is fit and healthy.

2. Cognitive skills

A journalist should be mentally equipped to meet the demands of a cognitive and emotionally draining profession. A journalist does not stop learning after he graduates from college; in fact for a journalist learning is an on-going process. This means he is required to stay updated and possess more than general knowledge on a wide variety of topics. Also, he must have a very strong hold on the language of his choice. A quick grasping power is required and a more than average level of intelligence is a must. It will be of great help if the person can articulate himself well and has a sound personality.

3. As a person

A journalist must be gregarious and an extrovert. He must have the necessary skills to exact information out of people and to befriend sources. A journalist must be a patient listener and must possess the ability to collate all information and sift through the useful one. He must be unbiased and should keep his personal agenda aside when reporting news.

These three are pre-requisite skills for becoming a good journalist. Make sure that you possess all these three in order to excel in the field you have chosen for yourself.