Journalism & Software Engineering: Two Fields, One Curious Mind

How can journalism and Software Engineering possibly go together?

As someone who is exploring both fields, I’ve learned that they may look completely different from the outside but both require the same things: passion, curiosity, dedication and a willingness to keep learning.

For me, journalism started with curiosity.

I’ve always been the kind of person who wants to know what is happening in the world and more importantly, why. I’ve jokingly called myself a dedicated radio listener for years and honestly, I have my mom to thank for that. Because of her, I grew up listening to almost everything on the radio: news, deep political discussions, programs about life, people and society. During COVID, I became especially obsessed with those conversations.

What I loved about radio was the freedom of it. You could simply listen wherever you were, and somehow, a voice could make you stop, think, question and understand something differently.

That curiosity eventually became the driving force behind my interest in journalism.

And I think that is one of the first things you need if you want to enter journalism: be genuinely curious about things. Ask questions. Think deeply, pay attention. But there is another thing I learned: know the skills you already have.

Sometimes people don’t realize what they’re naturally good at. Someone might have an incredible voice, a unique way of describing things or the ability to make a story feel alive just by talking about it. Journalism teaches you to recognize those abilities and turn them into something meaningful.

Later, I got the opportunity to learn journalism professionally alongside my Software Engineering major. I went through an intensive journalism session and honestly, it changed the way I see communication and even the way I think.

One thing my boss once told me stayed with me:

“I love people who think clearly.”

I love that sentence because I believe that whenever you genuinely love something, you have to be willing to work for it. You can’t just say, “I’m interested in this.” You have to turn that interest into action.

Now, on the other side there is Software Engineering.

SE requires a completely different kind of dedication. And one thing I’ve learned is that especially in the beginning, it is completely normal to feel like you are everywhere.

You might touch frontend, backend, UI/UX, DevOps, databases, AI, system design and then jump back and forth between all of them wondering, “Wait… what am I actually supposed to specialize in?” That is normal.

Software Engineering has so many areas that, in the beginning exploring different things can actually be one of the best ways to understand yourself. You gradually discover what makes you curious, what you are naturally good at and what you actually enjoy. Then, little by little you specialize.

Maybe one day people know you as “the backend expert” “the product designer” or “the AI person.” You can still understand the other areas but you have something that people strongly associate with you. Until you get there, keep exploring.

Another lesson I’m learning in SE is to pay attention to what is currently valuable in the market. Find the technologies and skills that matter and when you choose something, don’t just touch it on the surface. Learn it deeply. And yes AI is everywhere now just use it. Learn how to work with it.

But don’t become someone who builds something huge with AI, closes the laptop and a week later can’t explain what they actually built.

At the very least, know the terminology, understand the concepts and know what your code or system is doing.

We are in the age where we have the opportunity to learn more than ever before. So learn something every day.

Because honestly, this is our hardworking age. We have the time, the energy and the opportunity to build ourselves.

And that’s why I believe journalism and Software Engineering can actually go together beautifully.

Journalism teaches you curiosity, communication, confidence, observation, storytelling and how to understand people.

Software Engineering teaches you problem-solving, logic, building, systems thinking and how to turn ideas into something real.

And there is an interesting bridge between the two: communication and digital marketing.

Imagine building something genuinely useful with your technical skills but also understanding how to tell people why they should care about it. That combination is powerful.

You can build the product and understand how to communicate it.

So if you’re currently in that first phase trying everything, changing your mind, exploring different fields, wondering whether your interests are too scattered don’t panic. Maybe you’re not lost you’re simply discovering your range before discovering your specialty.

And if you’re interested in journalism and Software Engineering anything related to these fields, I’ll be sharing more about what I’ve learned from both sides.

Because sometimes, the things that seem completely unrelated are actually the things that make you uniquely good at what you do.