a continuation of my life...i've decided...
So I finally have some down time, and thought that writing something on here would probably be good for me. My life the past few months have been nothing but crazy and insanely busy. I wouldn't have it any other way. It's good training for when I really do work in TV.
I've been thinking about the title of this livejournal which all began my first year in college. So far I think I've taken care of the juggler part. Now it's time to move on to the TV producer part. This semester, I'm taking on a journalism class and an introductory video class. It's a little intense, but everything in my life is. On Tuesdays, I'm a non-stop on the go traffic engineer by day, journalism student by night. On Thursdays, I have an internship in the morning and then a video class in the afternoon. So a lot of my nights and weekends are for homework, catching up on reading, working on assignments, and just general networking.
Sometimes, people ask me about what I'm going to do with my engineering degree. And I'm not exactly sure how to answer that question. As I've said before, engineering is a fantastic living, and can be a stable career when it wants to be. But I've been doing it for almost eight years now (college plus working), and I want to try some other things. This is something that I won't really admit, but I actually liked engineering once I graduated. It was a great money for someone who was 23, and just out of school, and the work...it was always okay. I say that the work was okay, because I feel there was no one to really teach me how to do the work effectively. A lot of the time, I felt that I was on my own to not just do the project, but learn how to do it at the same time. Yes, in engineering you have to figure out stuff on your own, but it shouldn't be as much as the Irvine office has had to deal with. Sure in the end it makes you stronger, but I would have given anything for someone to be there to say...this is how you do it...and this is how you do it effectively. Just being told I'm inefficient when I had to figure out a lot of it on my own. That's probably what really did it.
After my mom told me how much I wasn't making, I pretty much had it with engineering. Yes, this was a whole two weeks after I graduated. One of my high school friends asked me why I didn't study video/media/journalism in college, and that's when I really started wondering...Why didn't I? That was the main thing that got me through high school, and I spent five years studying something else only to be told that I don't make enough as an engineer, and should do nursing because it pays more money. I'm sorry, but no. That doesn't work. You don't tell your kid he's not going to make enough with his dream job, and then tell him he doesn't make enough with the career that you picked for him.
Oh yeah, the kicker...I told her that by the time I graduate...nurses will surpass engineers in the salary department, but she didn't listen.
I started researching different journalism/tv/media programs, and decided that the community college route was the best way to go. It's cheap, and a lot of your teachers have real world experience. So far, I haven't regretted that decision, and the best part is my teachers like my work.
Now, I've decided to pursue a graduate degree in journalism once I get the basic skills down at the community college. This time...there's no going back. My mom got what she wanted, and that still wasn't good enough. And now...it's my turn. No, I don't want to be a reporter or the next Brian Willams, or even make a lot of money at it. All I want is to contribute to something that has such a profound impact on so many people's lives. To put it even simpler, I want to tell people's stories, and do it well.
ASU, Northwestern, and Cal are the 3 schools I'm looking at. ASU is my top choice, and I'm doing all the research I can to make sure that I can get in there. After my graduate degree, I hope to start within a top 60 TV market (there's 210, so starting in the top 60 would be awesome). Then move back to San Jose (market 6). Will I ever make it back to LA? I don't know. It'd be nice, but covering the news in my hometown will be even nicer.
So, it's time to work on the TV news producer part of my LJ. Then it'll be time to be a CEO.
more later
-arjay
I've been thinking about the title of this livejournal which all began my first year in college. So far I think I've taken care of the juggler part. Now it's time to move on to the TV producer part. This semester, I'm taking on a journalism class and an introductory video class. It's a little intense, but everything in my life is. On Tuesdays, I'm a non-stop on the go traffic engineer by day, journalism student by night. On Thursdays, I have an internship in the morning and then a video class in the afternoon. So a lot of my nights and weekends are for homework, catching up on reading, working on assignments, and just general networking.
Sometimes, people ask me about what I'm going to do with my engineering degree. And I'm not exactly sure how to answer that question. As I've said before, engineering is a fantastic living, and can be a stable career when it wants to be. But I've been doing it for almost eight years now (college plus working), and I want to try some other things. This is something that I won't really admit, but I actually liked engineering once I graduated. It was a great money for someone who was 23, and just out of school, and the work...it was always okay. I say that the work was okay, because I feel there was no one to really teach me how to do the work effectively. A lot of the time, I felt that I was on my own to not just do the project, but learn how to do it at the same time. Yes, in engineering you have to figure out stuff on your own, but it shouldn't be as much as the Irvine office has had to deal with. Sure in the end it makes you stronger, but I would have given anything for someone to be there to say...this is how you do it...and this is how you do it effectively. Just being told I'm inefficient when I had to figure out a lot of it on my own. That's probably what really did it.
After my mom told me how much I wasn't making, I pretty much had it with engineering. Yes, this was a whole two weeks after I graduated. One of my high school friends asked me why I didn't study video/media/journalism in college, and that's when I really started wondering...Why didn't I? That was the main thing that got me through high school, and I spent five years studying something else only to be told that I don't make enough as an engineer, and should do nursing because it pays more money. I'm sorry, but no. That doesn't work. You don't tell your kid he's not going to make enough with his dream job, and then tell him he doesn't make enough with the career that you picked for him.
Oh yeah, the kicker...I told her that by the time I graduate...nurses will surpass engineers in the salary department, but she didn't listen.
I started researching different journalism/tv/media programs, and decided that the community college route was the best way to go. It's cheap, and a lot of your teachers have real world experience. So far, I haven't regretted that decision, and the best part is my teachers like my work.
Now, I've decided to pursue a graduate degree in journalism once I get the basic skills down at the community college. This time...there's no going back. My mom got what she wanted, and that still wasn't good enough. And now...it's my turn. No, I don't want to be a reporter or the next Brian Willams, or even make a lot of money at it. All I want is to contribute to something that has such a profound impact on so many people's lives. To put it even simpler, I want to tell people's stories, and do it well.
ASU, Northwestern, and Cal are the 3 schools I'm looking at. ASU is my top choice, and I'm doing all the research I can to make sure that I can get in there. After my graduate degree, I hope to start within a top 60 TV market (there's 210, so starting in the top 60 would be awesome). Then move back to San Jose (market 6). Will I ever make it back to LA? I don't know. It'd be nice, but covering the news in my hometown will be even nicer.
So, it's time to work on the TV news producer part of my LJ. Then it'll be time to be a CEO.
more later
-arjay