Career opportunities within CarCraft.

Ok, So I'm a student that will be attending college end of 2010, and so I've been committing more and more thought to what I'd really like to do in life. I've considered being a journalist for one or several of the magazine's I read from; CarCraft, Hot Rod and the like.

So my question is, what should I study/do to work my way into a position like that? I gotta say, I'm a car nut (aren't we all?) and I love to not only write but travel. AND I'm good with computers if that helps at all.

I know it's alot more complicated than that but where should I at least start?  
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Projects: '72 Challenger Rallye 340 (motor's seized, will be sticking in a 383 from a 300), my '04 Blazer 4x4 DD

Could anyone give me some pointers?  
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Projects: '72 Challenger Rallye 340 (motor's seized, will be sticking in a 383 from a 300), my '04 Blazer 4x4 DD

does anyone use r12 in their auto a/c anymore??or has everyone made the switch. only reason is this one I ASK AS I FIGURE OUT THAT RESTORERSMIGHT POSSIBLYBE INTERESTED MAYBE YOU NEVER KNOW.  

First, I would recommend finding a shop in your area that will let you apprentice to learn the basics. This can be done part time and even give you credits towards a degree. What I think is lacking most in articles today is the aura of experience from the writers point of view. Many articles are recycled info gathered from other technical sources. A good article is one that reads as if the writer is speaking from experience.
So, find a shop that will let you learn. Take college courses that focus on communications and journalism. Start writing now and submit them to the mags for consideration. You might also look for a local car mag that you can work with to cut your teeth.  
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Thanks a bunch! Yeah, I'm hoping to fit in some time with the local town garage, the guy there does alot of part-timer things.
Also, there's a local tech school that has an awesome collision repair/refinishing program where the teach' lets you bring in your own stuff to work on whenever you want/need to.

I'm searching for anything local, I might get into some sort of online newsletter to begin with (or something).

Thanks a bunch, sounds good    
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Projects: '72 Challenger Rallye 340 (motor's seized, will be sticking in a 383 from a 300), my '04 Blazer 4x4 DD

Ever the shameless self-promoter, Turbo Ted harkens back to the distant CC Forum past and a breathtakingly absurd take on that revolving door known as magazine writing:

THE SET-UP:  TurboTed is attempting to "top" CCMAG's ideas for new automotive "reality" TV shows . . . .  


"Writer X (PBS):  A huge publishing monolith conducts a Jack Roush-style "gong show" search for a new 'Junior Assistant Special Projects Associate Editor' (ever notice how everyone at a car mag is an "editor?")  


In the first episode, the SUITS UPSTAIRS screen the hoard of on-line applications submitted by the various illiterati who all think it would be "bitchin'" to "work" for a car book (and get paid to style like e. e. cummings.)  

("work," in the minds of the idealistic wantabe scribes,  of course,  means:

--guzzling free booze mooched from product reps,

--doing sydeshow doughnuts in handbuilt "press fleet" vehicles and rental cars,

--snapping a few blurry digital photos at "events" across the Heartland,

--"meeting and greeting" the t-shirt models,  and

--occasionally turning in one long, hackneyed, run-on sentence of a story,  before jumping ship for an industry PR rep gig)  


The least incoherent of the applicants are then initiated to the "realities" of publishing ("You want me to work 100 hours per week for WHAT!?!" "You want cream in your coffee, Mr. Editor-In-Chief?"  "Sure, I can rewrite thirty manufacturer press releases before deadline." "Oh I've got a really, really  fresh angle on that SBC build-up  . . . .")"


Sound like fun?  
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TURBO TED --Internationally known as the "John Force of the Yugo Racing Association."

Sergeant-at-Arms and immediate Past President of the SoAL Yugo Owners Group.

Love the ee cummings line!!  
John McGann

You guys took me wrong, I guess.

I wasn't wanting to get into the field because I want to reap the benefits and glory of becoming what most people think magazine writing is. I wanted to get in because I love to write, and I love the cars I work on. I know it's not some easy,  beer-and-franks-every-day party, but I was thinking that it would be something I'd love to write about.

So, sorry for asking. Thanks to all who actually gave helpful answers though!  
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Projects: '72 Challenger Rallye 340 (motor's seized, will be sticking in a 383 from a 300), my '04 Blazer 4x4 DD

First, learn the English language, spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence construction.  I can't believe the number of writers that don't actually write what them mean.  The next thing to do is to get a degree in journalism. While you are working on your degree try to get a job writing, preferably for something besides the school newspaper.  My personal suggestions would be the local newspaper, or a local racing rag, and by all means start a blog about something (probably cars).  (In case you hadn't noticed newspapers are dying in this country and magazines are probably not too far behind.  Since both of these publications are advertiser supported and advertising is going to the web my bet is that the web will be where most publishing is done in the future.) Once you have been published you need to start a string book (a book of your published articles).  I would also learn to take fairly good pictures with a digital camera.  It is always better if the publication you are writing for can send you out without a photographer.  My little sister got a job at a well-known south Florida newspaper right out of school because she could write, she had a string book right out of college and she could take printable pictures.  Just what I know from my little sister's experiences.

BTW she now makes a pretty good living in the PR business.