<p>Once you get to college, there should be a reputable independent student newspaper - virtually every college and university in the country has one. You don’t have to be a journalism major to write for them, they’re essentially always looking for writers, photographers, paginators, Web designers, etc. You won’t get paid much, but it beats working for free.</p>
<p>Colleges have internal public relations shops, in which paid student jobs are often available.</p>
<p>Oh, and DO NOT “volunteer” as a stringer. If you’re a stringer for a professional newspaper, you should get paid. Again, it wouldn’t be much, but it’s important to do your work for pay.</p>