Jim Lehrer
Journalist
“Make sure that the life you lead matters to others, because if it does, it will matter to you. If you do things that matter, you will feel that you matter.”
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By Roadtrip NationJim Lehrer
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
His dream growing up was to become a professional baseball player, but he was told in high school that he wasn’t good enough to play professionally.
Had always been a good writer, so he began writing about sports for the school paper—by the time he graduated, he was the co-editor.
His family didn’t have enough money to send him to a four-year state school or university, so they moved to Victoria, TX, where he attended the local community college, Victoria College.
After graduating from Victoria College, he applied to 37 universities—got accepted into the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri.
In 1956, was drafted into the Marine Corps as a second lieutenant during the Korean War—credits this experience with helping him feel a connection to world.
He has worked as a reporter and correspondent for The Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Times-Herald, and NPACT, but his big break came in 1975 when he reported on the Watergate scandal for PBS.
He is best known as being the anchor of PBS NewsHour—a position he held for over 30 years—and for being a prolific writer of several novels, plays, screenplays, and memoirs.
Admits he is one of the rare people who found his passion early in life and did exactly what he set out to do.
Keep following my journey
Education
Career
Journalist
I am a journalist and novelist best known as the former news anchor on PBS NewsHour and Presidential Debate Moderator.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Journalism
Writing
Communicating / Sharing Stories
Day to Day
When I was a news anchor, my day would consist of reading and researching news stories and working with our producers on that days reportable stories. There were also a lot of meetings with segment producers. And more reading and researching. I would always make time to work on my writing and whatever side project I was working on.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
Start writing for your school paper and reporting on different topics at school.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Associate's Degree
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Teachers:
"You aren't good enough to be a baseball player, you should probably consider a different career. "
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
Interviewed By
One Step Closer
Success stories shaped by community college
