Deciding on a career path is a difficult decision for everyone. We all start on a blank page with zero experience and knowledge. This generation, particularly those who belong to Generation Z, consumes media a lot. They use an average of three hours a day on social media, watching videos and scrolling through their phones.
It’s an addictive behavior, and everyone is doing it. Social media can play a big role in the development of this generation if used properly.
Benefits of Social Media to Gen Z
Media-related companies such as advertising companies, video production companies, and even the film industry use social media to expand their audience. Social media is the target of these companies to advertise job opportunities. It is proven that 85% of jobs are found through networking.
This brings us to how media arts can help Gen Z with their future career and boost their creativity. This generation is not only attached to technology like how to society perceives them to be.
In fact, this generation is more curious about the foundations of arts and media than we think. In a study about art awareness, 79% of Millennials say that social media allowed them to consider getting art and film degrees. This is the result of the constant interaction with art in ways that interested them.
Media Arts
When we say art, we are not only referring to painting, sculpting, and drawing. Art has various field studies comprised of multiple disciplines such as music, photography, film, media, and literature. This section will specify media arts and how Gen Z can pursue a career from it.
Media arts, according to its definition, involves the study of film and video as art. It is also the study of human communication through photography, film, and digital arts. To pursue your career in media arts, you can take up a Bachelor of Art’s Degree in Media Arts.
This degree will provide you a liberal arts background that lets you pursue further education and training related to the field. Industries like advertising & marketing, film & TV production companies, museums, and studios offer employment to those who graduated with this degree.
Careers in Media Arts
The career opportunities for media arts and any form of arts comes in a long list, which means that getting an art degree is not a waste of time and money. Careers related to films are film director, producer, cinematographer, sounds & special effects, and many more. You can work in the film industry even with little experience as long as you start with an internship program.
There are also careers related to literature: being a journalist, screenwriter, scriptwriter, story editor, and script supervisor. With this range of career opportunities, you can never run out of options.
How to Pursue a Media Arts Career
Now that you know about media arts and the career opportunities that it offers, you are on your way to pursuing the said career. You can gear up for your career in four steps:
1. Bachelor’s Degree
During this time in our early years, we all had the same difficulty choosing a degree that is fit for us. But these days, degrees related to film and arts are in high demand from the Gen Z community. Although getting a degree is not mandatory in some industries, the knowledge and experience during your time in the university can help the future.
2. Internship Programs
Completing an internship program is like an unwritten rule to fresh graduates or graduating students. Internship programs are necessary to provide a professional experience to the interns that helps them gain personal character, develop their skills, and give them opportunities to land a job in their desired industry.
There are three ways that you can get into an internship program. First, if it’s through your school. In some universities, there are internship fairs that provide internship opportunities for students. The second way is through direct e-mails. This is when you voluntarily introduce yourself to a certain company and make them aware of your presence and skills.
The last one is quite a difficult one since it requires your confidence and socializing skills. This is when you start networking. You need to have the confidence to introduce yourself to other people in the industry face to face. This is done through networking events or events from a company that you want to intern with.
3. Start from the Bottom
No one succeeds overnight. Everyone needs to work hard to get to where they are today. During your internship, you can choose to work on various projects to gain more experience and skills. Even with this experience, you will probably work in an entry-level position in the company.
Entry-level positions are known for freelancers and part-timers. But do not undermine an entry-level position because this position can give you job experience that cannot be gained elsewhere.
4. Work in Your Specialty
After going through all the internship and entry-level positions, you can freely choose an area to work on. You can work best in an area that suits your style and knowledge. Specializing in an area lets you improve your work, and you can even deliver groundbreaking changes in the industry.
Media arts might be a risky path to follow for some. But if you have the right motivation and you’ve set your goal higher, achieving your dream career won’t be a problem.