Thursday, September 23

Defining Your Senior Project

As BC Capstone students define senior projects, they should consider what they need on a resume tape or in a portfolio to help reach their short term goals.

Consider what kind of work YOU need to polish and showcase. Consider what kind of work you LOVE to do and then do it. Consider what title or position you want to emphasize on your resume.

Do as much as you can, but do the best that you can. If you love announcing, then take on all the shifts you can and devote your time to prep and performance. If you like to write and report, do as much as you can. Create personal challenges like submitting stories to the Associated Press. If your story gets picked up, that's validation that the professioanl world recognizes you are a broadcast journalist. There's no subsitution for the growth and body of work that comes from experience.

You can also be diversified. But come up with a plan, identify your titles, and craft a week to week schedule with defined outcomes and deadlines for yourself. Be disciplined and be serious about your target outcomes.

You can do shifts on the radio to get airchecks for an air announcing.
You can create/produce/serve as talent for a live radio remote.
You can produce/anchor newscasts.
You can produce radio or television promos.
You can report for radio news. LIVE reporting is very valuable.
You can produce segments for our television programs.
You can shoot, edit, report for TV.


I could go on, but I think you get the picture. You should take this opportunity to get the material that you want and need.

Still fuzzy on what you want/need? Who do you look up to in the business? Then get in touch with that person. Identify recent grads, faculty or working professionals you know or have come in contact with in the past year. Contact them by telephone or e-mail and pick their brain about suggestions of material that will help you make the transition toward your career goals.