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Media Degree.....

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited March 27 in Work & Study
anyone do it? where do you do it? how are you finding it?

im thinking about uni for '07 probably at sussex uni

any advice? any comments?

let me have it. all is welcome.

thanks

isnt-she-lovely :)
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've just finished my second year doing Media Studies at Swansea.
    Our course mainly feels like a combination of English and Sociology during the second year.

    In the first year I did modules on journalism and learning to write in a journalistic style while other optional modules concentrated on Film Studies (analysis of films). The compulsory modules in the first year taught us about various theories behind Media, such as communication models and a few sociological theories too. We also had a practical module where we had to learn to use MS Powerpoint to do presentations but that felt pretty pointless to me.

    In the second year I did modules on looking at the way the media portrays war, media theory (that was rock solid, various complicated theorists, Jean Baudrillard being the most prominant, but it was interesting), a practical module for designing websites, a module on political communication (how the media reports politics basically as well as how spindoctoring is conducted) and a module on media representations (which really did feel like a combination of English and Sociology!).

    Then again this is only my course. For a time I considered transferring to Derby and they seemed to have a much more practical course.

    I have no idea how useful my degree will be to me in the future, I just did it because I was interested in the subject :) Have noticed I do tend to get a bit of stick from people that see it as a low brow subject :/ And with the amount of theory involved it's far from low brow nor the easy route.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    this is slightly off topic but what i can't get my head around is the government is willing to pay people to take up careers in professions such as teaching and scientific posts etc and there seems to be an endless supply of applicants for media degrees. so i pose my question...


    WHY?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Because people think it qualifies them to work for the bbc or something. When it in fact does not.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i dont think that...i must not be people :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    sprocket wrote:
    this is slightly off topic but what i can't get my head around is the government is willing to pay people to take up careers in professions such as teaching and scientific posts etc and there seems to be an endless supply of applicants for media degrees. so i pose my question...


    WHY?

    why not? for a lot of people, uni is not about getting a head start in your chosen profession. it's about broadening your horizons, improving your education and life skills. it doesn't matter what you study, if you develop good employment and personal skills, you will go far in life.

    out of the people i know with degrees, i reckon less that 20% work in a related area. and most of them are the people doing more traditional subjects.

    what i can't get my head around is this snobbery about subjects. so what if a media studies student never works in the media? i know a fair few maths students, and none of them are going to be mathematicians. one of my cousins has a masters in maths, and last job he did was a receptionist. it doesn't matter. get over yourselves.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kaffrin wrote:
    what i can't get my head around is this snobbery about subjects. so what if a media studies student never works in the media? i know a fair few maths students, and none of them are going to be mathematicians. one of my cousins has a masters in maths, and last job he did was a receptionist. it doesn't matter. get over yourselves.
    dont think i could even try putting that better myself :yes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I chose my degree because I was interested in it.
    If I'd gone into teaching purely because I was paid to I would have become a terrible teacher because I wouldn't have cared about my job.

    If you read my post earlier you'll notice I have no idea how it will help my career options, I just did it because it interested me. To me it seems pointless to spend 3 years doing a course you're not interested in. I went to University to learn.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    .
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Fiend_85 wrote:
    Because people think it qualifies them to work for the bbc or something. When it in fact does not.

    thats what an english or history degree helps with ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whats The Point??? Do A Proper Degree. Get A Proper Job!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whats The Point??? Do A Proper Degree. Get A Proper Job!

    define 'proper degree'. define 'proper job'.

    the point is that this person is considering broadening her education. what in is no business of anyones. people say stuff like 'why should i pay my taxes so someone can study elvis studies <or insert other modern and slightly wacky subject>'. if you're thinking like that, why should i pay so someone can study geography or chemistry or english literature, and then go on to work in a bank?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kaffrin wrote:
    define 'proper degree'. define 'proper job'.

    the point is that this person is considering broadening her education. what in is no business of anyones. people say stuff like 'why should i pay my taxes so someone can study elvis studies <or insert other modern and slightly wacky subject>'. if you're thinking like that, why should i pay so someone can study geography or chemistry or english literature, and then go on to work in a bank?

    i have a rather dated opinion that further education should help people to gain employment. Courses like media studies dont, they just keep people from being unemployed for three years.

    I think a proper degre course is something which is structures, and improves someones employability.

    But everyones got an opinion.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i have a rather dated opinion that further education should help people to gain employment. Courses like media studies dont, they just keep people from being unemployed for three years.

    you do have a dated opinion.

    it also happens to be totally out of touch with reality. i have what you would probably think is a mickey mouse degree. everyone i know on my course has a job. i have a job. i was chosen from 50+ applicants with more traditional degrees.

    considering how much it costs to go to uni these days, i don't think anyone would do any degree to just put off being a doley for three years. they would just get on the dole at 16, fresh from school.

    it's snobbery, pure and simple, and there's no need.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru

    I think a proper degre course is something which is structures, and improves someones employability.

    why doesn't a media degree?

    and go on then, what sort of degree is something that 'structures'?

    eta: curious to know if the degree i'm studying in criminology and social policy will be of any use to me in your opinion?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    .
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kaffrin wrote:
    you do have a dated opinion.

    it also happens to be totally out of touch with reality. i have what you would probably think is a mickey mouse degree. everyone i know on my course has a job. i have a job. i was chosen from 50+ applicants with more traditional degrees.

    considering how much it costs to go to uni these days, i don't think anyone would do any degree to just put off being a doley for three years. they would just get on the dole at 16, fresh from school.

    it's snobbery, pure and simple, and there's no need.


    Yeah your luky to have been able to get a job with a non-traditional degree. But from my experience, a number of my friends who studied and gained degrees in areas such as cultural studies, popular culture, etc have foundit very difficult to get a job. many of these courses do not provide the transferable skills that the traditional degree courses do.

    and if someone wishes to pursue a career in the media it is better to gain experience on the job rather than do a three year degree course. because, surely you should only undertake to spend three years of your life and thousands of pounds on a course which will help you gain a good job?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    why doesn't a media degree?

    and go on then, what sort of degree is something that 'structures'?

    eta: curious to know if the degree i'm studying in criminology and social policy will be of any use to me in your opinion?


    it depends what profession your are hoping to enter, you should have considered that before starting your course.

    and stuctures was a typo, i meant stuctured..........
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ymany of these courses do not provide the transferable skills that the traditional degree courses do.

    Transferable skills such as what?

    The key, as always, is not what degree you do, it is how you apply yourself. Yet again people fall in the trap of thinking that a degree qualifies you for a job, it does not.

    I got a law degree from Durham and found it hard to get a job. Point?
    and if someone wishes to pursue a career in the media it is better to gain experience on the job rather than do a three year degree course.

    Is it really?
    surely you should only undertake to spend three years of your life and thousands of pounds on a course which will help you gain a good job?

    Why?

    Some people enjoy studying. One of my best mates has done an undergrad, shes doing a masters, and then wants to go and do another undergrad. Big deal.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah your luky to have been able to get a job with a non-traditional degree.

    no, i'm not lucky. i'm employable.

    it has nothing at all to do with transferrable skills, or with what i studied. i am capable, i am articulate and i have experience. a degree is an asset, but it's not the be-all and end-all. for some jobs (doctor, nurse, teacher, engineer) a relevant qualification is essential, but for the vast majority of others, it doesn't matter what you studied, but only what you learned from it.

    my dad used to be one of the recruiters for his company, and he always used to say, 'i don't care what they studied. i care how they studied and what they achieved'.
    But from my experience, a number of my friends who studied and gained degrees in areas such as cultural studies, popular culture, etc have foundit very difficult to get a job. many of these courses do not provide the transferable skills that the traditional degree courses do.

    yeah, i'll curse the day i didn't choose to study classics the next time my employer asks me to write an essay discussing themes within homer's iliad.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    it depends what profession your are hoping to enter, you should have considered that before starting your course.

    and stuctures was a typo, i meant stuctured..........


    thats crap. i'm doing what i'm doing at uni because i find it interesting.

    so what type of degrees do you class as being structured?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The harder one works, the luckier one gets, I find.
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