Welcome to the Industry
When deciding on what career path I wanted to go into, originally I decided business. I was previously at the University of Louisville. During my time at Louisville, I was on the business major path with a focus in marketing. When I was initially thinking of a career path, just as Pollack said “You should try to get the highest paying job” (Pollack 53). I wanted money and I wanted to make a lot of it. Throughout college I’ve learned that not job need to be high paying, you really need to be doing something that lights a spark in you. I needed to find something I was passionate about, entering college I had no clue what that was going to be. The strange way that I found my passion, was I was failing school. I was on academic probation, and I needed to take a winter course to boost my GPA. I signed up for a sports production class and we helped out the company VPC, inc. during our course. Next thing I knew I was filming basketball games and editing clips for sports highlights, I was hooked. In the Spring 2017 semester, I applied for the Fall 2017 internship for our Athletic Communication Department and that is where I currently am, where my job is as a camera operator.
I entered the “industry”, as what people call it. A lot of people say that working in the industry is not all rewards and “You shouldn’t even try to get a job in a glamorous industry unless your last name is Spielberg or Chanel” (Pollack 54). I know that this industry is not a very kind one and it can be brutal to work in. This is something that excites me, it brings a joy to the words “I have to go to work”. My internship is with the media department here at UMBC. I am learning a lot about what it’s all about, how to be better, and know what producers and directors are looking for. A huge thing in the industry is exposure. Social Media is a terrific way to represent yourself and brand yourself. Some may say that twitter and Instagram are controversial but “Twitter provides yet another way to enhance your online reputation and increase your professional Google-ability with recruiters” (Pollack 69). I know that there are a lot of skills that i still need to learn and understand, that is the biggest stress factor. When you know you want to do something but just do not have the knowledge to be great, it can get frustrating. Although with help through my internship, as well as time, I am sure I will get a better grasp of these skills. In my internship I have doubted my self a few times but one thing that makes me try again is my mentor, his name is Dustin. I did not exactly pick him nor did he pick me. One day I was playing with a camera and I started asking him questions about it, next thing I knew I was filming the basketball games. It was simple, all I did was follow the rule to ease into the relationship of mentor and student by asking “an experienced person a focused and informed question about something you need to learn about your career” (Pollack 82).
Now, I follow him almost everywhere and whatever he tells me to do, I do right away. He always tries to help me when he sees I am struggling, and points out the things I do great. When Pollack mentions the part about mentors, he says “find a mentor who is willing to follow up with you about you goals […] give you ideas or networking connections” (Pollack 83) and this is exactly what Dustin does for me. He helps me be a better version of myself and makes sure I meet the right people to jump start a career.
