Kent State University - School of Journalism and Mass Communication
How ready for the 'real world' were recent grads?
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| Anna Fleming
AdvertisingDecember 2007
Client Service |
Did you feel prepared to work in the field? "I actually felt very, very prepared. It's scary, looking for that first job. I felt that I had a good grasp on the industry and felt prepared for what I was going to be doing." What was the most helpful thing you learned? "I was really able to apply what I learned in one class [an account management course] particularly." What should you have learned but didn't? Said she couldn't think of anything. Said Prof. Fran Collins was correct in being a stickler for attention to detail and correct grammar. |
Dustin Lee Electronic Media ProductionDecember 2007
Associate multimedia editor for Advanstar Communications, North Olmsted, Ohio |
Did you feel prepared to work in the field? "For the most part, yes. I have mixed feelings about it because I really do think that there's a good program for Electronic Media Production at Kent. The professors are excellent, but to me it just seems like there just wasn't enough [hands-on work and classes]. I wanted to get more of what I had my senior year. "I think that all the bases were pretty much covered.... You really have to do it outside of class, too. You learn so much more that way...." What was the most helpful thing you learned? Said Video Field Production was the best class he took. "If had more classes like that at Kent, then I would have been set." What should you have learned but didn't? "There are a lot of people in the major because they love doing creative video and multimedia work, not the objective, corporate news based programming that JMC is gearing all the students for." Said he wanted an outlet for more creative work. |
Carrie Wise Broadcast JournalismDecember 2006
"Studio 55" Video Producer and Host for Naples News Media Group in Naples, Fl. Studio 55 is the Internet video and multimedia division.
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Did you feel prepared to work in the field? "I think I was prepared to work in an online atmosphere with responsibilities that included typical print responsibilities. "I think Kent State's journalism program is very helpful. The course assignments -- from getting the police blotter to covering beats to computer assisted reporting -- was beneficial. We produced packages in most of our upper level courses and that repetition every week helped." What was the most helpful thing you learned? What should you have learned but didn't? |
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Laura Andrews
Public Relations (M.A.)August 2007
Communications associate for the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio |
Did you feel prepared to work in the field? "I did, yes." Said she didn't feel prepared to look for a job with a Communication Studies degree. "There's a huge disconnect between my undergrad and grad, but not one between my master's and career." What was the most helpful thing you learned? "It was a very focused program. We did a lot of exercises in classes and a lot of projects with [both real and hypothetical] clients so you were getting a lot of experience that helped after graduation." "The networking there was really good. That's something I didn't learn in undergrad work." What should you have learned but didn't? "You can know what to do and how to do it, but until you do it, you're not going to know what it's like." |
Meranda Watling Newspaper JournalismDecember 2006
Reporter, The Journal & Courier in Lafayette, Ind.
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Did you feel prepared to work in the field? "I was prepared for everything. I did an internship and was editor of the Kent Stater and every kind of reporter you could be before you were an editor." "There were other people since I've been here who came from other journalism schools who weren't as prepared." "I really feel like I thrive here, and a large part of it is the education I got at Kent." What was the most helpful thing you learned? "I definitely wasn't typical. I started teaching myself HTML when I was 10..." The only online class she took was Collaborative Online Producing. What should you have learned but didn't? "How to negotiate salary offers, resumes, finding jobs, learning how to use networks." |
Other parts of the story Technology, economy drive JMC changes News students need to report across platforms PR, advertising students need more online skills Media production students learn about Web JMC curriculum is changing, sometimes slowly |
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