My friends, my family, my classmates all keep asking me: “What are you going to do when you graduate?” I really have no idea how to answer. But this may not be altogether a bad thing.First, let me explain what we (the students in the Electronic Media program) do. We learn how to create multimedia; video, audio, photography, CD-ROMs–you name it–we learn it. Specifically, we learn how to use the computer programs to make these wondrous creations. Every video you view, every picture you see, has to be created by someone. The Electronic Media students are fortunate enough to learn how in their degree program.
This presents the problem (and the solution): what sort of job will we find when we finally delve into the working world? We ask ourselves the same question. See, we can’t just open the classifieds and look under “Electronic Media Technician.” It’s not there.
So we rely on learning a broad range of skills in order to fill any space available. That’s what’s funny about multimedia. If you know a lot about many different subjects, you can create almost anything you want.
In fact, that’s what’s funny about life. When you graduate from college, it’s not only the degree that you are bringing to your new workplace; it’s your ability to adapt to any situation because you have been exposed to so many different subjects.
Remember all the term papers and presentations you had to do in all of your classes? They are not assigned just to make you busy. Someday you may need to teach a class, write a report, or just communicate clearly with your co-workers. That’s why we are going to school: to learn the skills necessary for communicating effectively with those around us. We bring our diversity to the workplace and focus it into well-defined thoughts.
So all of you out there wondering what you will say to those inquiring minds needing to know what your plans are for the future, don’t worry. At least you’ll be able to give them a reasonably satisfying answer. I’ll just stick to my hodge-podge five-minute reply and continue to try to explain to the world what I do.