Many young people choose careers based on what they are good at, what their families expect, or what they believe will give them a secure future. But sometimes, the strongest career journeys begin with simply knowing what you want to learn—and having the perseverance to keep pursuing it.
In this episode of DiscoverU Career Journeys, career coach Nahida Coelho speaks with Shraddha Kamdar, a journalist and editor with more than 23 years of experience. Today, Shraddha is the Deputy Editor at Femina, one of India’s most iconic women’s magazines. Over the course of her career, she has worked across reporting, writing, editing, features and newsroom operations, while also teaching journalism and communication to young students.
Her journey began not with a grand plan to become a journalist, but with a simple desire to study journalism. At a time when undergraduate journalism courses were not widely available in Mumbai, she pursued the subject after completing her B.Com and went on to build a career in a field she had initially entered simply because she loved learning.
Along the way, she faced resistance even from people close to her. Her father, despite being a modern and progressive thinker, once told her that “a girl from a Gujarati household does not become a journalist.” Shraddha chose not to rebel against that expectation, but simply to remain consistent with what she wanted.
Her career eventually took her from reporting and Education Times to editing, teaching, a master’s degree at Columbia University, work with The New York Times and, today, senior editorial leadership at Femina.
In this conversation, Shraddha opens up about what journalism really involves, why writing alone isn’t enough, how human-interest stories connect with readers, whether AI can replace journalists, how digital media is changing the profession, and what separates journalists who build lasting careers from those who leave the field.
“Journalism isn’t just about writing. Journalism is about getting the correct perspective, getting the correct news.”
Q&A with Shraddha Kamdar
Tell us about your life today. What does a typical week look like as Deputy Editor at Femina?
There is actually no typical week for me because Femina is a monthly magazine and every week falls at a different stage of creating the issue. At the beginning of the month, the team is still writing stories and I am writing articles as well, so that is a relatively less hectic period. As the stories move into editing and design, my role becomes much more involved. I am responsible for looking at every page after it has been designed, deciding the order of the pages and figuring out how the different sections fit together. There is actually a lot of mathematics involved in producing a magazine because you cannot simply add another page whenever you want. Pages have to work within printing requirements, including multiples of eight, and advertisements also influence how pages are arranged. As we get closer to sending the magazine to press, things become extremely hectic because there are last-minute changes, additions and deletions. Unlike Instagram or Twitter, a printed page cannot simply be edited after it has gone out, so there are multiple checkpoints to make sure everything is as accurate as possible. We also pay attention to the paper, printing, ink and photographs. At the same time, Femina has a digital presence, so we contribute to and edit content for the website as well. Digital has a much quicker turnaround, so the work is very different from print.
What drew you to journalism in the first place? Was it always a plan or did you fall into it?
It wasn’t really a plan to become a journalist, but I didn’t fall into it either. My plan was to study because I loved studying, and at the time all I wanted was to study journalism. In those days, when I was looking at journalism in Mumbai, there weren’t undergraduate journalism courses in the way there are today. You generally needed to graduate first and then pursue journalism at the postgraduate level. I completed my B.Com and simultaneously did my M.Com while studying journalism. I met people who were very serious about the profession, and although I initially thought of becoming a teacher, the more I studied journalism and experienced the field, the more I realised that this was something I genuinely wanted to do. That’s when I began charting my way ahead.
“It was not a plan to become a journalist. I didn’t fall into it either. It was a plan to study. I love studying.”
You started out in reporting before moving into Education Times. How did that early experience shape you as a journalist?
That early experience gave me a very strong foundation because it taught me that journalism isn’t simply about writing. There is reportage, where you are actually out in the field collecting news, speaking to people and verifying information, and there are features, which are the stories people often read for pleasure and deeper engagement. I knew I wanted to work in features eventually, but I started as a reporter. Going out, collecting news and getting people to give you their viewpoints taught me a lot. I was also always interested in education, so after gaining some initial experience, I approached Education Times. Fortunately, there was an opening and I got the opportunity. That was when I moved from being primarily a reporter to becoming a writer and editor. I also learned how pages are made and what happens after a writer submits a story. A writer may simply write and send a piece across, but the desk then has to edit it, verify it, structure it and make sure it works as part of the publication. That combination of writing, editing and desk work has stayed with me throughout my career.
You’ve also spent years teaching communication and journalism. What made you want to teach alongside your editorial career?
Teaching is something that is simply in me. If I had the time today, I would happily go back to the classroom because I am happiest when I’m facing a group of young, bright students. When the opportunity to teach came along, I took it and realised how much I enjoyed it. Over the years, I taught subjects such as communication, editing, feature writing and introductory journalism. One of the things I particularly enjoyed was being able to bring my professional experience into the classroom. Many of the institutions I taught at were autonomous, which meant faculty could use their experience to create more practical programmes rather than focusing entirely on theory and exams. I could bring together what I had learned in the field, what I had learned while studying at Columbia and the experiences of colleagues and friends, and create a more hands-on learning environment. The idea was to combine the students’ knowledge with my own and prepare them for what they would actually encounter when they entered the profession.
You also gave a TEDx talk on human-interest journalism. What exactly is human-interest journalism, and why does it matter?
Human-interest journalism has been around for a very long time. Journalism initially focused heavily on news, and later different kinds of features emerged. Human-interest stories are those that have a strong human angle—stories that touch people, move them or make them want to learn more about a person or an incident. When I gave my TEDx talk, I wanted to explore that idea through the experiences of people I had interviewed. I also connected it to my own experience of perseverance. My father, who was actually a very modern and progressive person, once told me that a girl from a Gujarati household does not become a journalist because he was afraid of what society would say. That was very unlike him, but I stuck through it. I continued studying, continued working and continued pursuing journalism. Fortunately, he eventually came around. The point was never to rebel against him or society. It was simply about being consistent with what I wanted and continuing to work towards it. That’s what I had learned from journalism and from the people I had interviewed—the importance of keeping at something.
“The aim was not to defy, the aim was not to rebel. The aim was to be consistent with what you want and how you are achieving it.”
Does that human-interest approach connect with the work you do at Femina today?
Absolutely. It connects very strongly with what we do at Femina, particularly when we look at stories about women’s lives. We see from our digital data that these stories are being read and that they connect with people. It could be a woman farmer who has taken the initiative to understand her produce and seeds better and improve her farming, or someone who is simply showing tremendous grit and determination. These stories can perform just as well as beauty or lifestyle stories. At the heart of it, people respond to stories that touch something human in them.
Have the kinds of stories readers want changed over the years?
The way people consume information has definitely changed. The internet is now a huge treasure trove of information, while print has a very limited number of pages. We also have a much wider audience with very different interests. People increasingly want shorter articles and quicker answers, and because attention spans have become shorter, many people consume more video than written content. But at the heart of it, the fundamental need hasn’t changed. People still want information, answers to their questions and stories that can affect or change their lives. What has changed is the speed at which they want that information. People are used to putting something into Google and getting an answer immediately. As publishers, we therefore have to understand what people are looking for and what is performing well. Digital analytics and data have become important because performance is increasingly measured in numbers. We have to accept that change and adapt to it.
Let’s talk about AI. As someone who has worked with the written word for more than two decades, can you identify AI-generated content?
Yes, AI-generated content can often be identifiable, particularly to people who have worked with writing and editing for a long time. You learn how human beings write, and AI doesn’t always write in the same way. The first instinct can be to see AI as a threat or to reject it completely, but I don’t think that’s the right approach. We can use it as a tool to make our work easier and then polish and strengthen what it produces. Research itself has changed dramatically. When I was researching something in the early 2000s, I might have had to go to a library, access records, pull out books or speak to people directly. Later, research moved online and Google made information available at the click of a button. AI is taking that one step further by scanning information and bringing it together. So I think the answer is to work with it rather than either completely reject it or rely on it entirely. You can use AI for research, but the final work needs a human perspective.
“AI is not a magical wand. It’s being fed data and information every single minute. What it has been taught is what it is giving back.”
What do you think AI can never truly replicate in journalism?
The biggest difference is the field itself. How is AI going to be standing at the site of a fire, a collapsed bridge or a major political speech? It cannot be there speaking to people, getting first-hand accounts, verifying information, going to authorities and asking questions. That is what a journalist does. There is also something that comes with experience. When a journalist reads a scientific paper or a report, they may see several possible stories within it. One line might trigger the thought, “I could do a story on this.” That ability to identify what is actually a story comes from years of training and experience. AI can assist us, but it doesn’t replace the journalist who is present, asking questions and making decisions about what matters. Even when AI is used for something as simple as correcting grammar or punctuation, a human editor does much more than that. A good editor verifies, improves and strengthens the copy. If you rely entirely on AI, you can lose track of where your own thinking ends and the machine’s output begins.
“How is AI going to be at a fire site if a fire has broken out somewhere? That only a journalist can do.”
Do you think print journalism has a future, especially after the disruption caused by digital media?
I don’t think journalism has gone anywhere. Print has certainly faced disruption, and the economics of publishing have changed significantly, but that doesn’t mean journalism is disappearing. Ultimately, a publication is also a business and it needs money to survive. If the publication doesn’t survive, there is no journalism within that publication. That’s why publications have to adapt and use multiple channels. There are many digital-only publications today producing excellent journalism. So I don’t think we should look at digital as something that is destroying journalism. We should also join the bandwagon. Print and digital operate differently. With print, there is a long production process and multiple checkpoints because once the magazine is printed, you cannot change it. Digital is immediate. You have to get the information out quickly and there is competition around who breaks the news first. But even with that urgency, accuracy cannot be compromised. The profession is still very much alive, but the skill set required today is different from what was needed when I started. Journalists now need to understand print, digital and increasingly AI as well.
So what does a young person entering journalism today need to learn?
They need to be digitally oriented and open to learning. They need to understand where publications are going and how quickly digital content has to be produced. They also need some understanding of AI and how it can be used to their advantage. There are practical things AI can make much easier. For example, extracting text from a PDF or a photograph used to be a tedious process, whereas technology can now simplify it considerably. The point is not to completely abandon traditional skills, but to work alongside new technology. If you want to enter journalism today, you need to be willing to adapt and continue learning throughout your career.
You’ve mentored many young journalists and students. What is one common mistake you see?
One of the biggest misconceptions is that people think they should become journalists simply because they are good writers or enjoy writing. Journalism isn’t just about writing. It is about getting the correct perspective, getting the correct news and making sure what you put out is accurate and authentic. Of course, writing skills matter. If your writing is dull, people will move on quickly, particularly today when attention spans are short. But writing ability should not be the only thing that drives someone towards journalism. If you have a flair for language and simply want to write, there are many opportunities in content writing. Journalism requires something more—a dedication to what you are putting out and a commitment to getting the facts right rather than simply chasing clicks.
“Don’t just base your choice of profession on the fact that you have a flair for language.”
Are there other communication habits that young people should work on?
Yes. Language and communication habits matter, especially if you’re entering a profession where language is central to your work. I still see texting language and shorthand creeping into formal writing. Students sometimes write “U” instead of “you” or carry texting habits into professional communication. There is a reason language has rules. If you’re entering a profession where language matters, you need to consciously change those habits. The same applies to professional communication more broadly. Instead of sending a message with an attachment and nothing else, learn to address the person properly, explain what you’re sending and communicate professionally. These are habits, and good habits can influence how you approach your work. If you are a coder or a dancer and language isn’t central to your profession, that’s different. But if you’re entering journalism, writing and communication are part of your professional toolkit.
What has remained constant about good journalism despite all the changes in technology?
The drive of the journalist has remained constant. Particularly in news, you need people who genuinely want to chase a story. Every day is different. Some days are quiet and others are extremely hectic, and you never know what will happen when you arrive at work. The people who don’t have that drive and perseverance often don’t stay in the profession. Journalism requires you to be on the field, follow leads and sometimes go on what feels like a wild goose chase to find the information you need. I remember stories of journalists trying to locate someone simply from an address, or using a phone number from a banner in the background of a photograph to track down a source. Investigative journalism takes that perseverance even further. Journalists have gone undercover, spent long periods following leads and taken significant risks to uncover stories. That drive to find the story is not something technology has removed.
“Those who don’t have the drive and the perseverance, they will not survive in the field.”
Does that perseverance apply even outside serious news and investigative journalism?
Absolutely. Even feature journalism often requires tremendous persistence. There have been journalists who have followed film stars for days or travelled overnight to another city simply to get an interview. Sometimes the first three attempts lead nowhere, but they keep going because the story matters to them and to their publication. Everything doesn’t come from the fingertips. Technology is an incredible tool and our lives depend on it, but journalism still requires people to go out, meet other people, follow leads and pursue information. The journalists who are serious about the profession and have that drive are the ones who eventually become seniors and remain in the field.
What advice would you give someone considering journalism as a career today?
Don’t assume that the profession is dead. But also don’t enter it casually. Think about what you want and how you are going to shape your skills around it. A journalism programme will teach you many things, but you also need to understand what kind of journalism interests you and what you want from the profession. Don’t enter journalism simply because you liked writing something once or had a passing interest in it. Every profession requires hard work, and journalism certainly does. You need perseverance, curiosity, accuracy and a willingness to keep learning. And don’t make AI your enemy. Understand it, learn how to use it properly and make it work to your advantage. What you shouldn’t do is use it simply as an easy way out because sooner or later that will create problems.
“Don’t make AI your enemy, but befriend and understand how to use it better rather than just using it as an easy way out.”
Key Learnings
Journalism is more than writing
Accuracy, verification, perspective and the ability to find the real story matter as much as writing ability.
Study can reveal your career direction
Sometimes a career begins simply with curiosity and a desire to learn, rather than a perfectly defined plan.
Perseverance builds lasting careers
The willingness to keep chasing stories, following leads and showing up separates those who stay from those who leave.
Human stories still matter
Even as content becomes shorter and faster, stories that connect emotionally with people continue to resonate.
AI should be a tool, not a replacement
Use AI for research and repetitive tasks, but strengthen the final work with human judgment, experience and perspective.
Field experience cannot be automated
First-hand reporting, verification, questioning sources and being present where events happen remain fundamentally human activities.
Adapt to digital journalism
Modern journalists need to understand print, websites, social media, analytics and increasingly AI.
Build strong communication habits
Professional writing requires more than correct grammar—it requires clarity, discipline and appropriate communication.
Don’t choose journalism only because you love writing
A flair for language is useful, but journalism also demands curiosity, dedication, accuracy and resilience.
Keep learning throughout your career
The tools and platforms may change, but the willingness to learn and adapt remains essential.
Conclusion
Shraddha Kamdar’s 23-year journey in journalism is ultimately a story about curiosity, perseverance and the willingness to adapt. She didn’t begin with a grand career plan—she simply loved studying journalism and gradually discovered that she wanted to make it her profession. From early reporting and Education Times to teaching, international academic experience and her current role as Deputy Editor at Femina, her career has evolved alongside the industry itself. Her message to aspiring journalists is equally relevant today: writing alone isn’t enough. Journalism demands accuracy, curiosity, persistence and the ability to find and verify stories in the real world. And while AI will undoubtedly change how journalists work, it cannot replace the human experience of being present, asking questions, understanding context and deciding what matters. For anyone considering journalism as a career, Shraddha’s advice is simple: don’t be afraid of change, don’t use technology as an easy way out, and above all, keep learning and keep at it.
Shraddha Kamdar is a journalist and editor with over 23 years of experience across reporting, features, writing, editing and newsroom leadership. She has worked with organisations including the Times of India and The New York Times, and has also taught journalism and communication at various institutions. After completing her master’s degree at Columbia University, she continued to build a career spanning both Indian and international media. She is currently the Deputy Editor at Femina in Mumbai, where she works across print and digital editorial content. She is also a TEDx speaker and has spoken about human-interest journalism, perseverance and the human stories that lie at the heart of the profession.
