Careers In Media/How I Will Find My Way

Careers in Media is a great book for the basic information of all sectors of the industry. I really enjoyed the break down of all the different parts and their resources such as websites, advice and statistics. In Chapter 1, they spoke of how broadcasting jobs will increase by 2016, which is important to me because my main interest in media is production and development of late-night and broadcasting type shows. My real dream has always been to be a female late-night television host, and although I know those dreams are HUGE, I haven't quite lost faith yet.

In comparison to last semester, I have a lot more pressure to buckle down and find myself an administrative or entry-level position within the industry, preferably in a big company. Although I do enjoy the resources the book has to offer, I have used several if not most of the websites to locate and outsource for job openings. My internship has offered me an extension to stay on as a Summer intern straight through another 4 weeks and I have accepted the proposal. However, I am not stopping my job search because of this. As an unpaid intern here, although I have great hands on experiences with working in development and on numerous projects at once, I do not get to further in the process of actually working. There are limits, legally, to how much I can do because I am unpaid and the President of the company, rather than have issues, limits the amount of work that can be done. Therefore, while I am thrilled to stay on at this internship, I need to start looking for a job as well.

Before this semester, I had been looking up jobs that I was literally shooting blindfolded at. Most of the jobs I had applied for had been producer, assistant producer, writer, etc. However, I have come to discover that in many companies, especially the big ones, I have to start as an assistant to the CEO, an office manager or an administrative assistant. No one is going to hire me straight out as a producer or a writer, when I am fresh out of college. Due to this, I began looking for programs in the big name companies that I can train and learn, and then eventually be hired by said company. For example, I applied to the NBCUniversal Page Program, which is a year-long training program. Although it is highly competative, I hope to hear back. As well, I began to apply to assitant and administrative jobs, hoping to start from a low level and build my way up. I believe I have a great work ethic, much like my superiors at all of my internships have told me, and believe it can help me succeed through the levels of the industry.

I still check Simply Hired, Indeed, Glass Door, Entertainment Careers, etc. almost every single day for new jobs and postings. I also regularly check Time Warner's site, NBCUniversal, Viacom, Comcast, Sirius XM for new job postings and apply daily and weekly. I feel like the pressure is on now more than ever to find something to get my foot in the door. I definitely am feeling a bit discouraged, because I do have some pretty good internship experience and letters of recommendation, yet haven't quite heard back for an interview or a followup from the majority of the places I have applied.

Therefore, I started applying to blogs and small start up sites as a freelance writer and blogger. With my journalism minor, I feel like it is a good step to building a portfolio and getting my name out there on the web, if people were to look me up. I'm also working on a book on my own, and hope to focus more time on it after graduation and during the rest of my internship during the summer.

Fingers crossed!