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I’ve told you before, that I have one semester of school left. Something that I’ve dealt with and I’ve watched a lot of my friends experience is test anxiety. Even people who aren’t anxious can begin to freak out when the time rolls around for an exam. The calmest people can fall apart when they let test anxiety get to them during their exams. The way exams are weighted in many classes, it’s no surprise they can bring students so much stress. In some cases, a course’s final grade can depend solely on test scores. This means having a bad … Continue reading Test Anxiety

When you graduate college, you aren’t just leaving the university behind. Any media classes or clubs that had a certain way of doing things are now gone as well. When you go into the workforce, some things may be the same, but at least a few things you are used to are bound to change. How equipment is handled, what programs are being used, and even how cords are wrapped at the end of a work day may be different in your new job. You have your experience, but there are some things you will have to relearn. This can … Continue reading Forgetting Everything You Know

Hey guys. I’ve mentioned before that I am an anxious person. One of the many not-so-fun things that come along with anxiety for some people is insomnia. Insomnia is when you know physically that you’re tired but can’t fall asleep. Usually, this is because something is on your mind that is making you anxious and your brain is too focused on the anxious thoughts. A lot of the time for me, the things making me anxious enough to stay awake are time-sensitive commitments the next day. You can see why this would be an issue. Being worried that I won’t … Continue reading Insomnia

As you start getting ready for graduation, it’s a happy time because you are finally done with school after 17 or more years. It’s also time to face the sad reality that some of the friends you made during your college career are going back home or moving to other parts of the country. People who have spent the last 4+ years as part of your life will now be people you see sparsely if ever again. It’s a problem that every graduating college senior has to face. This reality can make the transition to the real world even scarier. … Continue reading Losing Your Friends

This is going to be more of a goofy one guys. This problem isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Ever since I started taking media classes I don’t watch movies the same way anymore. Since learning about the production process, decisions that directors make have started to make me irrationally angry. This new lens through which I now consume media has been both a good thing and a bad thing. When directors use certain shots to hide something or try and trick the audience members’ brains, I now pick up on it more easily. It has allowed me to gain a … Continue reading Watching Movies With the Sound Off

Hi guys. Something I struggle with sometimes is feeling like my work will never be as good as the things I see in movies and on TV. I know this feeling can creep up on a lot of students in the media field. Having access to thousands of movies through streaming services shows students how far along some pros in the industry are, and how much catching up we amateurs still have to do. This can be worse for some students than others. I try to stay positive about the work I make. Then I turn on Ms. Marvel and … Continue reading The Feeling of Inadequacy in Media

Hey guys.Welcome back to another one of my blog posts. As you know I am hoping to one day work in the sports media industry. One problem I face, that I know is shared by a lot of my peers is figuring out what the path to sports media looks like. There are so many different careers available in sports media that all have their own pros and cons. Figuring out what position you want to end up in can almost be as hard as figuring out where to start. With the advent of new media. The sports media world … Continue reading What Path Will You Take in Sports Media?

One of my favorite parts of the video creation process, and a skill every student in media should learn, is editing. Editing can is the process in which the editor takes video shots and audio elements, and uses other post-production software to combine these elements to create a final video production. Some media students gravitate toward other aspects of the production process but in my opinion, the editing is the most important part of the production. Some students steer clear of editing because the barrier of entry seems daunting. Editing is a difficult process and a tedious one at that. … Continue reading Learning to Edit

When you are in the media industry, naturally you will end up spending a lot of time online making connections. The internet and social media are very important in today’s media world. Some of the connections you make online could be extraordinary in helping to move forward in your career. Not everyone online is so trustworthy though. People can pretend to have your best interests in mind while they are actually scheming to steal your information or take control of your account. With social media growing exponentially, the number of scammers looking to use social media to find their victims … Continue reading Who to Trust Online

Hey there again guys. Reading the title I know you’re thinking that being happier doesn’t have anything to do with getting into the media business. Although the two don’t seem connected, they really are in the end. Connecting with people is easier when you have a positive attitude. People gravitate towards people who radiate positive energy. The problem is negativity is becoming more and more prevalent in the world. Social media websites allow people to see what people are doing all around the world. Before social media, to find out what was going on, even in your own friend group, … Continue reading Being Happier

(Disclaimer: This post is to be used in emergency scenarios only. Procrastination is a very bad way to get work done.) Hi, guys. I have a confession to make. My name is Cole Carder, I’m 22, and I am a serial procrastinator.  Procrastination is not something I’m proud of. Before college, I was always kind of lucky. School came easily to me and I would often wait to do projects until the last minute but was still able to receive good grades throughout. I didn’t start to learn the danger of procrastination until I started college. I’m not saying procrastination … Continue reading The Procrastinator’s Playbook

What’s up, guys? I don’t know if I’ve even mentioned my age in any of these posts or not. I’m 22 and I have one semester left before I graduate from college. So, that’s pretty exciting but also kind of terrifying. If you’re coming up on the end of your college career, I’m sure you get the feeling.  The problem is we’ve been isolated in a school setting for the last 17+ years of our lives. From the time you were 4 or 5 until the end of high school, you spend 8 hours a day for most of the … Continue reading The Real World

Guys, I’m going to be real with you for a minute. I am a very anxious person. I don’t know if there is really a way that you could discern that just by reading my writing, but if you know me, it wouldn’t take you long to figure it out. I’ve been able to ease my worry in many scenarios by remembering that a lot of the people that have negative opinions about you can’t do anything to negatively impact your life. This isn’t to say I don’t still try to be a sociable guy, but not everyone is going … Continue reading Handling Interview Anxiety

Hey, there future media moguls. If you’re anything like me getting the motivation to work on projects doesn’t come easily to you. There have been countless times when I get ready to work on something and decide to put it off or get distracted by other things. This is something I have found to be true for a lot of the students at my school. Many college students don’t only have school projects to worry about, as a lot of students juggle college coursework with internships, part-time jobs, and extracurriculars. Getting the motivation to work on school projects isn’t easy, … Continue reading A Guide to Getting Through Projects

Hello, again my future media moguls.  With this post, we continue building ourselves to be better candidates for careers in the media industry. Specifically, I will be discussing how to build a portfolio that showcases your production capabilities.  Many students go into interviews for media positions unprepared to show the interviewer work they have already created. This is the purpose of building a portfolio that demonstrates your skills to your potential employer. The first problem students face when creating their portfolio is what work will best showcase their talents in media. Students must learn to look at the work they … Continue reading Building Your Production Portfolio

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 … Continue reading Finding Ways to Gain Experience in Media

Hello media moguls. Today we take a step back from our job search to focus on a skill sports media companies value heavily, writing. Being a well-rounded individual is important in a modern media environment. Having a skill for writing game recaps and press releases in a short turnaround is essential for making it in the sports media world. The problem today is getting your writing seen. The second a game ends, hundreds of sports journalists are already writing their game recaps. How do you get your work noticed on social media sites flooded with other writers? The best way … Continue reading How to Write a Game Recap. (Video Blog Included)

The media industry has exploded in recent years. This can be attributed to the rapid growth of social networks. Facebook alone has billions of users. Companies are taking advantage of these massive user bases and creating content specifically for social media. Taking advantage of social media is important while looking for a career in the media industry. The first challenge you will face with social media is growing a following. Getting users who are already following hundreds if not thousands of other accounts on social media to notice you is a daunting task. No one who isn’t already a celebrity … Continue reading Finding Your Audience on Social Media

Hey there future media moguls. Hopefully you’ve started looking into clubs and talking to people in your field. While networking may have been step one, it is crucial to continue to network throughout your entire journey in sports media. Now that you’re starting to make connections, and you have an idea of what your goals are in media,you need to figure out what skills are required to achieve those goals. Let’s say you want to run the social media account for the Miami Dolphins. Like I said yesterday, things in media aren’t just handed to you. Remarkably, professional sports teams … Continue reading Now You’re Going to Have to Make Yourself Valuable

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 … Continue reading How You Can Get Your Start in Sports Media