How to Choose and Build a Media Career

Media is a broad word in that sense. It contains everything about communication tools used to store and deliver information or data. 

The word Media evolved from means, method, or way of communication. This means that as long as  a thing can link two parties, it's a sort of media. This is why there are many components of the media and communications industry, such as print media, online or domestic publishing, the news media, photography, cinema, broadcasting (radio and television), and advertising among others.

By this definition of the media, there is an obvious difference between Media, Digital and Technology.

In many cases, these words are used interchangeably and in some cases, together. But how do these three relate? 

Like every other word, these three are used in many cases to represent different things. The words are different from each other, although they relate in some sense.

As Media is already defined above, technology on the other hand is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry. This means that the application of technology in the media industry, we involve the use of machinery, equipment and necessary device to help us function better. For an illustration, Technology brought about the invention of the computer, and you will agree with me that the computer helps newspaper printing, online website/blog publishing, news media through social media,  TV, Radio broadcasting and far as Advertising. Technology has only helped to ease our jobs in all.

On the other hand, Digital is everything related to the Computer and it's fast thinking plus superspeed operations. To clearly differentiate it from technology, Technology can invent a grinding machine, but you do not directly need a grinding machine to operate in digital media. To link it properly, let's see this example.

I have a Newspaper publishing house and we publish copies of our papers for sale - (Media).

Before now, we used a typewriter which was quite tedious. But then, a computer was invented. (Technology)

Today, we don't always need a computer to type and print paper copies. We instead have a website where people can subscribe and read news on the go (Digital). Simple and Easy.
 

Now, you may ask what things should an individual consider when choosing a career path in Media? Media today is categorised into three.

1. Code
2. Design
3. Publishing/Mainstream Content

Everything that falls under Media can easily be grouped into these three. In choosing a specific and more defined career path in media, you may decide to select only one of these, or maybe two.

• Code

As the first major field in emerging tech today, Code largely involves programming. A developer or programmer needs to write a few codes to set up a website, a blog, a software or create an app of some sort. 

• Design

Design is the second major field in tech. It is very vast because it involves everything that people can see. Sadly, most people see design as a combination of pictures and letters used to pass visual information, but design goes beyond graphics or web design. Design covers product Designs, UI/UX, Graphics Designing, a Video creation and Editing amongst others. This largely has to do with everything that appeals to the eyes in image, structure, colours, and shapes.  There are other design fields like AR/VR (Augumented Reality/Virtual Reality) and Game Design. These fields may not be very familiar but they are big and juicy fields.Anyone who picks up these skills will create a great income source.

Design also goes beyond how something looks. It also involves how something works. A lot of thing in design goes on behind the surface and are set up in a way that people carry out the designer's desires unknowingly.

• Publishing & Mainstream Content 

This field deals with ideas that appeal to an audience, translated in text, audio, video or any other digital formats. As such, writers, Bloggers, Podcasters, Youtube Content creators/Bloggers, Designers and a whole lot of other media persons fall in this category.

One sincere truth is that Content is King. Practically, everyone in all media fields deal with content directly or indirectly. This means that no matter the defined path of media you're treading, you will definitely deal with content.

Steps to building a media Career

The first advice for anyone who wants to choose a career in media is to understand the basics of media. Media is built on Communication and if you cannot communicate through text, video, audio or any other digital format, then Media is not for you.

There is also a need to manage information properly. The media deals with Information that you have to communicate. While you are choosing your desired media career path, you will see many teachers that you'd want to learn from. The fact that you can learn everything online doesn't mean you should just take in anything. It forms into the kind of media person you become. This is because the internet is porous and quite dangerous so you must learn to manage information overload.

Also, you should understand the role of Audience + Community especially in Content, Branding & Development.

You can communicate to yourself (ordinarily and in literature) but not on the media. That is why you have an audience/community.

The content you build as a media personnel is useless without an audience.

Imagine a teacher with an empty classroom, a businessman without sales, a food seller without customers, or footballers without a cheering crowd. That's what happens when you do not have an audience.

 

Learn how to Position for Jobs

It's not always easy to pitch for jobs because you'd always have competitors. But you can always be smart about it. In the media space, everyone has a space. Some persons have gathered more seats than they should because you came late. Now that you're here, creatively and uniquely develop content that will claim your space properly. That is when the joy of  referrals comes full and you make more money.

I really did not want to mention anything about your passion for the media as many people would have expected me to. This is because for the average man in a career like this, passion only drives to an extent.

What are the practical steps to take to claim the space properly?
 

1. Create Original and Unique Content.

The media deals so much with content

2. Put out your content consistently. 

If your content strategically pops up in the face of people, then you are making a headway in the media space. Let people see your content over and over again. You will likely learn more about this when you are particular about the path of media career you're treading, especially if its design or mainstream content.

Making your media active and top-notch as a media manager involves that you leverage every tool of the media - online and offline. None  of them is insignificant. To make your media active especially, find the Social media platforms that works best for you and be a professional with it. That way, it will spread to the others and you'd gradually engrave your brand name.

Understanding the concept of Content writing* and where *digital marketing* plays
Content Writing is quite broad. But it is definitely a subset of Digital Marketing (which is broad too). Digital Marketing falls under the third category - Publishing/Mainstream Content. This means that to properly understand this part of your media career like every other, you should have a special liking for it and consciously pursue your goals in that line. To do this, you may consider taking up relevant courses and skills related to it in order to grow your experience.

3. Leverage Online and Offline  Resources to learn these skills better