I don’t anticipate launching a job search after graduating from the New Media Studies (NMS) program since I’m happy with my current position, but the article “Hey Unemployed Media Professionals! Read This Post Before You Apply For An Online Media Job!” does provide some valuable advice. The main thing that I took away from it is that I should constantly be reading, whether it’s blogs, Web sites, or books. I’m embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t heard of Mediabistro, Mashable, or Poynter prior to this reading. (I have since subscribed to all three).
The article points out that you don’t have to attend a pricey conference to stay abreast in your field. It suggests that you read the above-mentioned Web sites everyday and also the following books: Don’t Make Me Think, by Steve Krug; The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson; Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide, by Amy Shuen; and Writing for Multimedia and The Web: A Practical Guide to Content Development for Interactive Media, by Timothy Garrand.
It also states that you have to partake in social media to understand it. This is something that I’m struggling with. I would prefer to not have a Twitter account, and it’s sometimes a pain to update, but I do it because I need to understand how Twitter works and what the benefits are. Similarly, it’s important to be Internet savvy. Prior to this class, I had heard of RSS feeds, but I had no idea what they were or what they did - and I didn’t bother to investigate either. Now, I subscribe to multiple blogs and news Web sites, and I love Google Reader. In the future, if I don’t know what something is, I plan on researching it instead of ignoring it.
But, I think that the most important information from the article is the point that online media is constantly changing. It’s scary that a lot of media professionals with years worth of experience are getting laid off right now because that could happen to me in 10 years when the environment changes. That’s why it’s beneficial to read as much as possible; it’s important to know “what’s next.”
In the NMS program, I plan to take several courses that will help me to get ahead in my current position. I would especially like to become more involved in the management and creation of content for my organization’s Web site, and there are several courses in the Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse program that are appealing to me: Computers and Writing, Writing for the Web, and Technical Writing. I’d also like to learn how to create my own Web sites, and I plan on taking the courses Web Design I and II.
Likewise, I want to become proficient in Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Flash, and Adobe Dreamweaver, whether it’s through a class at DePaul or online tutorials. I only have a limited knowledge of these programs, and there have been several instances in my current position where a broader understanding would have been a tremendous benefit to me.
In summary, my professional plan for the future is to read as much about online media as possible, practice social networking, and take several courses at DePaul that teach the technical side of media and the creation of content. I believe that these three actions along with the experience at my current position will provide me with the necessary tools to succeed, whether I stay put or decide to pursue a new job.
The article points out that you don’t have to attend a pricey conference to stay abreast in your field. It suggests that you read the above-mentioned Web sites everyday and also the following books: Don’t Make Me Think, by Steve Krug; The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson; Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide, by Amy Shuen; and Writing for Multimedia and The Web: A Practical Guide to Content Development for Interactive Media, by Timothy Garrand.
It also states that you have to partake in social media to understand it. This is something that I’m struggling with. I would prefer to not have a Twitter account, and it’s sometimes a pain to update, but I do it because I need to understand how Twitter works and what the benefits are. Similarly, it’s important to be Internet savvy. Prior to this class, I had heard of RSS feeds, but I had no idea what they were or what they did - and I didn’t bother to investigate either. Now, I subscribe to multiple blogs and news Web sites, and I love Google Reader. In the future, if I don’t know what something is, I plan on researching it instead of ignoring it.
But, I think that the most important information from the article is the point that online media is constantly changing. It’s scary that a lot of media professionals with years worth of experience are getting laid off right now because that could happen to me in 10 years when the environment changes. That’s why it’s beneficial to read as much as possible; it’s important to know “what’s next.”
In the NMS program, I plan to take several courses that will help me to get ahead in my current position. I would especially like to become more involved in the management and creation of content for my organization’s Web site, and there are several courses in the Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse program that are appealing to me: Computers and Writing, Writing for the Web, and Technical Writing. I’d also like to learn how to create my own Web sites, and I plan on taking the courses Web Design I and II.
Likewise, I want to become proficient in Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Flash, and Adobe Dreamweaver, whether it’s through a class at DePaul or online tutorials. I only have a limited knowledge of these programs, and there have been several instances in my current position where a broader understanding would have been a tremendous benefit to me.
In summary, my professional plan for the future is to read as much about online media as possible, practice social networking, and take several courses at DePaul that teach the technical side of media and the creation of content. I believe that these three actions along with the experience at my current position will provide me with the necessary tools to succeed, whether I stay put or decide to pursue a new job.
Works Cited
"Hey Unemployed Media Professionals! Read This Post Before You Apply For An Online Media Job!" The Learned Fangirl. 30 August 2008. 10 October 2009. http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=826262932273032597&postID=5907985649645881250>.
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