Don’t be fooled, it takes more than a college degree to be where you want to be in the media fraternity. A great deal of your idols in television, music or journalism have made it, but credit is not due to any media training at an institution, when you eventually have your feature article on the cover of your local publication, television station or radio station. The cold fact is that your role model probably didn’t go to university. Or worst still, garnered all the skills she has from a little basic education and natural ability. Wherever you find yourself right now, and compared to what you want to achieve, know that it is attainable with or without media training. Not to say don’t go to college, as some of the most and experienced media professionals are lecturers.
A College Degree: A Stepping Stone
Whether you like it or not, you need schooling in media studies to grasp the basic concepts of the field of study you intend to venture into. More often than not, media studies teach you what it takes to succeed in the media profession, however so, you will also be taught basic principles and ethics that govern media studies. Media schooling has the unparalleled benefit of teaching you common professional mistakes that, with practice, can be avoided. Of course, mistakes are the tools that mold us to be the best at what we aspire for the most in life, and they’re inevitable, but there are some that can be career ending. And besides that, there’s a thing called media ethics, which is taught as a course of study for any media qualification. Having such training in ethics will guide you on how to conduct yourself in the most professional manner as you go along. For example, media ethics will teach you that sometimes exposing someone’s infidelity may attract a huge audience, but because doing so may destroy someone’s marriage, it may not be worth the hype.
Media Law: A Must
Law is a cumbersome field of study as it requires a great deal of study hours to master, a reason why some people cringe at the thought of studying it. Regardless, it is a must that you know of the potentially damaging possibilities of not abiding by the legal norms governing your chosen field of study. A fitting example is the prohibition on making unfair comments that may be defamatory, or, the publication of material that exposes victims of sexual abuse as they are punishable actions. So having to fight such legal battles can give you a bad reputation.
Practical Media Training
This is the point where you will begin to put your fingers on the pulse and begin your journey to success. Being at a media college comes with the ease of securing work internships with renowned media houses where, if you’re lucky, you will get the rare opportunity to rub shoulders with popular radio and television presenters, photographers and news anchors. This is where all the learning starts to make sense.
Like they say, if you wish to know the road up the mountain, you should ask those who go back and forth from it. With that said, media training at an institution will guide you well.
