Preparing for a Career in Media

   Media or sports broadcasting is what I want to do after I graduate from Holy Family University. Sports is my love and passion, and that is the field that I want to be in after graduation. Getting there though is going to be extremely difficult because the competition is fierce, and there are going to be other students from other colleges that are going to be fighting for the same job that I am. It's even more difficult now especially with a tough, difficult economy in which there aren't that many jobs out there. Reading "Preparing for a Career in Media", gave me a good idea of what I need to do if I am to be successful in the field of which I am going for. I am already panning on applying too as many places as I can after I graduate. There is a wonderful program that is being offered at Bloomsburg University in July that I am looking to take advantage off. I am doing to my best to plan early because I know it will give me an advantage in the work field. People that are better prepared in life tend to do better than those that are not. I have worked hard to reach this point and now I just need to keep pushing. I actually never thought if keeping a notebook or journal, but now that I think about it, it makes good sense to keep one. I can keep tack of what I am learning, and it gives me a good chance to evaluate my work and see where I need to improve. That way I can also figure out my strengths and weaknesses. Having a notebook gives me a chance to critique myself, and finding out where I need to go from here. It's a great organizing tool as well because you are not going to be all over the place, as everything you have done will be right there.

   To be honest with you, I hate being critical of myself, but I feel that it's important you are honest with your self. I am also very critical of other people, but sometimes I tend not to show it because I don't want to hurt other people's feelings. I have seen plenty of work from sportswriters such as Jason Witlcok and Malcolm Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, as well as many others. There have been times where I have liked their work, and other times not so much. I have studied the way that they write, and how they engage with their sports audience. I have seen Al Michaels and Marv Albert, who are two of my favorite sports broadcasters out there, and I want to model my work similar to theirs. They are amazing professionals, and it's obvious they love doing what they do. Well, I want to be there soon, and I want to be on TV commentating about the World Cup, or maybe write a sports article about a controversial topic that's dominant in the sports atmosphere.

   Creating a contact list will be extremely valuable for me because it gives me a chance to network and contact people with whom I may be looking to get a job. It's great to have a contact list because it gives you a scoop of the latest jobs that are out there. If you have a good client list, it gives you a good chance to be employed. I was never really the best person with computers, but I have gotten the hang of things as of late. I know how to do PowerPoint, Word and Movie Maker, but it's the advanced programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator that gives me issues. I took Desktop Publishing and I did not like it one bit, because the teacher would move so fast, and I would get stuck behind not knowing what I was doing. I came very close to dropping that class, but I worked through it, and managed to work hard to get a C+. The class was very difficult and it was a nightmare to deal with throughout the entire semester. I however did not panic, as I just put my head down and went right to work, and got through it. Job searching is something that I will have to do after graduation, and I need to be good at it, if I want to get my dream job. Fixing my resume is something that I will need to do asap because that is your DNA. It's what makes you, and it's your chance to show your future employer what have you done, and why you are a good candidate for the job.

   In my Multi-Media Storytelling class, my Professor Amanda McClain is having a everyone do their own website as a portfolio. I thought to myself how amazing that is because not only does that look professional but it makes you stand out more. You can get as creative as you want with it, and it give you a lot more flexibility. I think having a portfolio is great because it gives you a chance to organize the best work you have done over the years. Not only that but imagine you are being interviewed for your dream job, and you give your employer a digital portfolio with all of your work. It looks impressive and amazing, and it gives you a chance to make a lasting good impression. Lastly, cleaning up my online life, as that is something in which I think everyone should do. A word of advice, never post on Social Media about your personal life because it leaves a digital train behind. I have seen far too many people get screwed because their personal life got mixed up with their professional life. I am very well aware of that, and I am always very careful about the things that I post. People need to realize that anything can be seen over the internet, and just because your page is private does not mean that your boss is not looking into it. So please be careful about what you post because it might come back to haunt you.