Issue 3: Should you study Media?

Should You Study Media? -LVG

Choosing Alevels can seem like a high demand especially as most of us aren't certain what career path we want to take and who we want to be. 

I remember being certain about two of my choices as they were simply carrying on from subjects I had chosen at GCSE, however Media I chose simply because I knew my sister had chosen it and highly recommended it. After a few months I began to realise how diverse studying media could be and it's ability to bring all my interests together.  At AS level we were asked to produce a magazine cover and content page, although print media can be seen as a dying craft this taught me many transferable skills besides creativity such as the relationship between image and text, intertextuality, marketing and mass communication. We were given the opportunity to learn basic photoshop skills and although photoshop is often highly criticised for producing negative body views it has become integrated into societies simulacrum, this means photo retouching has now become a lucrative career. At A Level we were given the task of producing a film trailer and DVD cover using Final cut pro which is highly used within the media industry.

Despite the influence of the Media on our daily lives, universities and politicians continue to disregard Media as a true subject preferring students to specialise, for example Journalist  should study Journalism rather than Media and sound technicians should focus on studying sound technology. In continuing to study Media at university  for me the focus has been more on analysing media than producing physical products and although I understand there are other courses with a more practical focus I believe analysis skills are just as important to have. Analysing media crosses over into sociology and gives studying Media the ability to diversify in potential career paths. For those of us who are creative and willing to freelance to gain experience media is defiantly a valid subject to study.