Hello to all my future media moguls. A problem, that many students in the media field face, is finding ways to gain experience in their field. Media experience is vital in your future job search. However, finding avenues in which to gain that experience can seem impossible. This experience-based barrier of entry to the media world leads some students to give up on their dreams in media before they even have a chance to get their start.
This dream-crushing reality stems from students being either uninformed or apathetic about the resources they have at their disposal. Many students don’t take the time to look into what options they have to gain the experience needed in their field. I found myself making this mistake early in my college career. When I decided to change my major to media production I had a dream job in mind and was solely focused on getting to that point. This isn’t the case for all media students, but I know that I’m not the only one who has been too caught up in the fantasies of their ideal career to actually come back to reality and figure out the steps to make that dream even remotely possible. I finally had my “snap back to reality” moment when I applied for a competitive internship with my aforementioned dream company. When I wasn’t selected for one of the internship positions I realized that things weren’t going to come easily to me in my journey to sports media.
Luckily I was able to find an internship, although in a much different environment than the dream job I imagined. The time spent worrying about whether or not that would even be possible ensured that I learned my lesson. My hope for anyone reading this is that you don’t have to learn your lessons the hard way. I have a tendency to exclusively learn all of my lessons the hard way and I know from experience that it’s not a pleasant way of learning. That’s why today I bring you some advice on how to start gaining media experience immediately and what tools you can use to find more opportunities to gain experience.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; JOIN CLUBS. Being a college student with access to clubs in the media field gives you opportunities to take on roles in the production of media that no TV studio, radio station, etc… would ever allow a student with virtually no experience in the field to fill. Clubs also give you countless ways to improve both your resume and portfolio. You can save the work you produce for clubs and show them to employers as examples of your work. Taking leadership roles in these clubs provides something to add to your resume that will set you apart from other candidates. If you’ve read my first blog, you also know how important clubs can be to network in the media field. If you aren’t looking into what clubs you could be joining next semester at this point, then what are you even doing?
Clubs are a great starting point, but club experience can only get you so far. Large media companies are looking for candidates who have experience in a more professional setting. Now my friends it’s time to introduce you to the world of internships. Internships are a form of temporary employment where students can gain professional experience in their field without a company committing to give them a full-time job. The biggest difference between internships and full-time jobs is usually the pay. Many internships are unpaid or pay very little. This can be inconvenient to students who are already paying tuition to attend college, but the internship process is vital to a successful career search. Some internships can also potentially lead to a future career with the same company.
Finding an internship in your field can seem impossible, but if you go about your internship search the correct way, you will find it much easier than you expect it to be. To get an internship you need to know where to start. Indeed.com and similar job listing websites have job postings in virtually every field in virtually every city in the country. To find an internship in your desired field, the first step is to visit one of these websites and search for the job you want followed by the word intern (i.e. Video Production Intern). If you have a specific city, maybe somewhere close to home, where you are looking for internship opportunities, you can use these websites’ location filters to narrow the search to your desired location.
A good rule to go by is to apply to be considered for ten internships a day. The application process is usually pretty quick and you can easily apply for ten or more internships in about an hour. Simply doing this daily gives you a good chance to find an internship site that is looking to hire a candidate like you. If you’re a college student, you can also check with advisors and professors and your department who have connections and have helped other students find internships in the same field.
Once you have found an internship, make sure to use your time there to learn and grow from the experience. With most internships being unpaid, you aren’t gaining anything from the experience if you aren’t working to grow your skill set. Also, remember to save any work you produce during your time with clubs and internships to later be used as examples to demonstrate your skills to potential employers. My question for my readers today is; How will you use this advice to find new opportunities to gain experience and knowledge in the media industry?
Comment your answers and share the blog with your friends so we can go on our media journey together.