Hello to all my future sports media moguls. If you’re anything like me, when you were growing up, you watched a lot of sports on television. When I was a little kid, I wanted to be the next Tom Brady, or LeBron James, and while those dreams felt achievable as a small child, my coordination and size had different plans. Since I was a below average athlete who wasn’t blessed with a 6’5″ frame, when I graduated high school, I decided to follow in a path of something I was actually good at, math. That lasted for two years, but the whole time my passion for sports was still burning stronger than ever. One day during a calculus class, I realized that a career in math would never truly make me happy, and I decided to once again pursue my dreams in sports, but this time from the sidelines as a media member. I switched my major to communications media production and set off on my new journey. What I quickly realized however, is that things in the media industry aren’t just handed to you. While I wasn’t prepared for the challenges ahead of me, I hope others can look to this blog for advice as you embark on your own journey in to sports media.
The first challenge you face as a media student looking to break into a crowded industry is making connections in your desired field. When I started in communications media, I knew what I wanted to do, but didn’t know anyone who could help me achieve my goals. If you’re currently a student in the same position, I know that whether it is finding peers who share your interests, or trying to find opportunities to get media experience, the beginning of your journey can be very overwhelming. Don’t lose hope though, as the perfect opportunity could be right around the corner.
If you are currently enrolled in a college or university, the first step to networking on campus is to look for clubs and other extracurriculars in your field. I know that joining a club, whether it be radio, tv, photography, ect.., can seem overwhelming on top of the school work you already have, but the only way to network on campus is to meet like minded individuals. I was apprehensive to school clubs at first, but once I decided to give the student-run radio at my school a try, I discovered a passion for sharing my thoughts and ideas with an audience on the radio. I also got to meet a lot of cool people who have graduated and begun careers in media. The people you meet in school can later become vital assets as you begin your job search.
Another way to network that seems obvious, but is overlooked by so many young people, is just to talk to people. Making friends in your classes can really only lead to positive results. You never know, the guy you were nice to in photography 101 may be looking for partners in a media venture down the road, and if you never took the time to say hello, that’s an opportunity that you missed out on without even knowing it. An example from my own life, I was talking to a classmate about my future career goals one day walking out of class, I mentioned a company that I hope to work for in the future. He just so happened to be working with that company already as a campus ambassador and was looking for more students to help with the social media accounts. Because I decided to talk to my peers, I now get to help with social media accounts linked to my dream company and have made a whole new network of sports media focused students from universities across the country. Never overlook opportunities to make new connections.
These are just a few suggestions to start networking on your road to sports media. Just taking these first few steps can go a long way toward helping you find a career after graduation. If you are passionate about what you want to do in life, it shows and people are more likely to relate to someone who pursues their passion. My question to readers is; what are you doing to start your path towards your dream career?
Comment your answers and share the blog with your friends so we can go on our media journey together.