Not What It Looks Like. (The Plan)

Sorry about this post guys. Its an essay I had to write for class, but it had some points that I feel strongly about, especially how I'm majoring in communication and everybody assumes that its the verbal kind but its anything but. I think one of the most beautiful things in this world is to be able to communicate without using spoken language, but rather to convey feelings and emotion through various art forms. The depth in which we understand reality becomes a whole lot deeper when indulged in music and art, than simply just words. Here ya go:

When one is entering into the field of communication, it is often assumed that they are there to simply study either verbal or written communication from one source to another. Public relations and social work come to mind, while making speeches and persuading others for a living seem to be in a communication major's near future. This is not at all why I chose to be a communication major. Central Connecticut State University is only my first step along the way. I plan to transfer to Marist, Ithaca, or preferably Emerson after one year here to major in Cinematography and Videography, cinematography being “bringing a story to life visually,” (1) and videography being video production whilst bringing “imagination and artistry to their videos.” (2) My dream is to work for ESPN, and I want to change the way we view the sporting world. I want to convey the way we watch sports as more than just an event, but a moment that those who are watching will never forget.

The foundation of my career has officially begun at Central Connecticut State University. Entering in as a freshman for the fall semester was a very large step in my life. With college kicking off I was no longer just a student, but a student with a focus on a particular area of work which happened to be communication. In high school, you couldn't find a student who was as sure as I was about my intended major. The only field I wanted to be involved in was communication and there was no other way. I never knew what I wanted to do much past that however. Often times I had heard the debate of whether to be in front of the camera, or behind the camera and at the time, I would have been very content with either one. Nothing has changed from that time, considering I still would be very pleased with being in front of, or behind a camera in the process of making a living, however what has changed from high school, is that I now have a preference. While being a journalist or an anchor would be an exhilarating experience to say the least, I was meant to be behind the camera. Controlling what people see and how they view it, is a gift that only few can possess. It would be honor to let others in on how I view the world, because I feel that the more perspectives we have on a matter or an event, the better we can fully understand it.

My first step to reaching my intended career at Central is ironically enough, getting out of Central. Yes, Central has a fine communication program, but over the course of my time here I have already noticed something that doesn't fit well with me. The program here specializes much more in the public relations side of things than the media and multimedia side. Now I never had any intention of staying my entire four years a Central and still do not. I am aiming to graduate from a school that can put me in a position of success fresh out of college, something I do not believe that Central can offer me in the field of communication. My number one transfer school Emerson, has exactly what Central doesn't. The reputation, the equipment, and the ghastly tuition covering up the reason I am attending CCSU in the first place. Once I successfully transfer into the school of my graduation, college will become a lot more fun for me. No longer will I have to worry about my immediate future, and I will have a lot of the gritty general education work behind me. At the new school of my graduation I will be able to focus heavily upon my major because the classes that I will be taking will be mostly ones relating to my major. This is because, while intending to transfer out of Central, the credits don't always transfer over all too well, requiring myself to set up a schedule that doesn't necessarily fit best with my intended major, but sets myself up best for the long run in terms of transferring out. I feel that once I am out and on to studying the subjects in which I have also shown a passion for, school will no longer feel like school. Learning will no longer be a drag, and I will be deeply inspired to explore the new opportunities that I have at my new school. Another bonus will be the people I am working with. At Central, it really is a melting pot. This however isn't always a bad thing unless of course you are like me and know exactly what you would like to accomplish in your future. Because of the fact I'm applying to a film school, naturally I am rather excited to be working around other young minds who share a passion for expression through video as I do. Instead of being made fun of by someone who does not share the same passion, odds are encouragement will be offered and work can be products of an enlightened point of view, rather than one that has been discouraged time and time again. The atmosphere of which I will be working in the future is something I greatly look forward to.

After graduation of my next school comes the more complicated part. What I do post-college really depends on where I end up transferring to from Central. If I do indeed end up going to Emerson, chances are I will have it pretty easy. Emerson College has quite the name and their students are almost guaranteed decent paying jobs right after college. “The number of Emerson graduates who have not only found work in the entertainment industry, but are wielding significant influence, has exploded in the worlds of television, film, the Web, and publishing.” (3) Odds are I will find a small company in the Boston area doing some production work and latch on to them for awhile and slowly build my name. The short term goal here isn't the money, it's the experience, and the reputation building. The long term goal coming out of a school like Emerson would be to work at a major corporation such as a Pixar, Dreamworks, or Columbia to name a few. Unfortunately ESPN does not require such a vast knowledge of Cinematography to work for them because there is much less of a place for that in the world of sports. However if this is the case, I will remain persistent with them and see if I can get my foot in the door any way possible. It is safe to say that my options are wide open coming out of Emerson. Now if that situation doesn't work out, or if I choose to go down a different path for whatever reason, I always have Marist and Ithaca as my back up plan. Both schools are in upstate New York, and at both I would major in Sports Communications, something Emerson does not offer to their students. I figure out of either of these schools, after graduation I would try and get a job doing something involving sports, whether its an internship with a team, or a broadcasting company. I am lucky enough to have just landed a job with Foothills Media Group as a local sports writer and will be covering many basketball games in the Farmington Valley this winter. My own boss Dan Podheiser an Emerson graduate himself claims that “Students are much more well off after getting an education involving a lot of work in the field, rather than just time in the class.” After graduation I will need some small jobs to build up my resume, especially if I plan on doing video work for ESPN. The experience I have will allow me to go where I want to go.