So where do I go from now

So my college days are coming to an end and everybody that I have talked to have two questions. A) when do I graduate, and B) what am I doing after I am done. Well I am done in May, and that day cannot come any sooner. But what am going to be doing when I am done with school? I have always wanted to go into the military but I am unable to because of medical reason (I have sports induced asthma. What a crock). So that takes that out of the picture. I want to be able to travel and help people and I have heavily looked into the Peace Corps, but I have made so many contacts over the last year and to disappear for three years I will most likely loose them. Well those are my non-degree options, but what about using that piece of paper I went for five years of college for. Maybe I can work in local news for a bit. On of my professors is Bob Hannon from WYTV in Youngstown, why not use that to my advantage. However, the problem is that I really do not care for many of the aspects of news. I like hard news and that is about the extent of it. Ideally, I want to move out to Los Angles and be able to work in film. I was lucky enough to spend a summer out in LA and I really love the city. I have also started to consider seriously getting my MFA. To a great deal of people including my mother when I mentioned I was considering getting a graduate degree they are totally shocked, because frankly I do not like school (though I understand the importance of it). I am looking at a few different schools, one is a film school and the others are schools with film programs.

One program that I found myself drawn to is New York Film Academy. This is a Two-year intensive program that all the students do is work on film. The school teaches how you use different types of film, and theories and whatnot. The school also allows students to use studio back lots. But the downside like all graduate programs it is an expensive school and to add on, it is nearly impossible for students to work so add on loans to live off of for two years and the price tag shoots way up

Another school that I have been looking at is both USC and UCLA. I like both of these schools but I don’t think that they have the hands on aspect that I am looking for with a school. At the same time they are big name schools and having a MFA from them will carry a lot of weight, well as far as teaching is concerned.

The schools that I have found on the east coast are surprisingly more expensive then out towards the west. I think I am kind of skewed to the west also because I do want to move and live there. Time will tell and unfortunately money will also.

Its all about the NETWORKING baby

Some guy keeps harping in my ear that connections and networking are the most important aspect of broadcasting. Then I sit in class and all I hear is more and more about how important it is to network. Then I go outside and meet people and ask for advice and all they harp on is networking and networking, and skill has a bit to do with it but network some more. So I thought to myself “self, there must be something up with this whole networking thing.” And by golly there is.

I am in a sports broadcasting class and by chance my professors is Bob Hannon from WYTV in Youngstown. He is the director of sports. Anyways I figured that this would be someone to meet and to know, and it has paid off. About two weeks into school he offered our class a chance to go down to work on an ESPN crew at an OHIO STATE FOOTBALL GAME. Well that was a double for me because I got to see OSU play and I’m a big fan and I was able to work for a network station.

I worked my butt off, I met every person I could, and was friendly polite and had a lot of fun. Well I guess that it worked because I was later called to help at an Akron vs. OU game, and the following week (which I was not able to attend) go to Miami of Ohio. I have been told that I did a really good job and to look for more jobs during basketball season.

Also Westminster hold concerts and Wayne Newton was at our school while he was on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Well they were looking for story assistants for the show, and my professor recommended me. It was weird to see how fast pace but how calm everything was. It was long day (from roughly 6 pm to 2 am) and we shot over 4 hrs of video. And they shot even more in the two days that followed for a minute thirty of air time. But after they left they called me to try and find a bag that was left there. I was fast asleep but NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK so I went on a goose hunt trying to find it. The guy I work for currently has my resume and helping me rewrite it and make it look impressive as possible, and hopefully can get me a job when I am out of school.

I feel wasteful and frustrated because I am making great contacts, but I am still in college and it is limiting what I am able to do with them. How much is the point were you are just bugging someone. And I’m not able to pick up and move until after May. So where do I go from there.