“Especially at this point and time in the pandemic, connections really are a huge part of this industry.”
Episode 13 of Select+CT with Bryan Murphy, NBC Sports Group | Leah Myers, WTNH-TV | Erick Jean, The Game Agency
Having the status of being an “undergrad” can be overwhelming because we don’t know what will happen after surpassing it. Even if we as students know where we want to work, it’s still challenging to pinpoint if what we think will work out or if what we think is a reality given our location and skillsets.
The purpose of the Select + CT recordings is to emphasize that there are so many great digital media jobs in Connecticut. It also helps us understand how our skillsets connect to the industry. The first episode of season two invites three alumni from three different CT-based higher education institutions to share their professional experiences since graduating.
Bryan Murphy, NBC Sports Group, Leah Myers, WTNH-TV, and Erick Jean, The Game Agency, conquered those fears for us! Leah is a digital content producer, Bryan is a digital editor, and Erick is a front-end developer. Bryan admitted how hard it can be to break into the industry.
See Also: University to Career
I will use Bryan’s experience as an example because he had the most challenging time, which I think makes him the most relatable. He says he applied to more jobs than he could count and only got 2-3 interviews. The job he ended up landing didn’t require an interview because he’d interned there before. He doesn’t know where he’d be working if he hadn’t made the connections in his prior internship.
As unfair as it sounds, having to make connections to prosper has proven true for Bryan and many others. In 2017, LinkedIn did a study that revealed a whopping 80 percent of professionals consider networking just as important as an actual portfolio or other professional work experience. Seventy percent of those people were hired at a company where they had a connection! That is more than half the workforce who felt this way.
I am guessing since the pandemic; this number has increased even more as we are now in a recession. Bryan’s story is one of too many, but he succeeded. Listen to the full episode to hear Leah and Erick’s stories; maybe their experiences will relate more to yours. View the full linked-in article here.
Featured Program
The University of Hartford has a unique take on digital media; they offer a dual in both digital media and journalism. This means you are more than likely to land a job in either! You are prepared for a career in digital media production, broadcast journalism, sports media, or as a media business professional. “Using a combination of real-world and classroom experience, you build a strong portfolio through internships and by working in one or more of our media-oriented student firms.” Learn more about this program here.
DMCT Micro Credentials
If you are unsure of how your skills connect to Connecticut’s growing Digital Media industry, I encourage you to enroll in DMCT’s first micro-credential course, The Emerging Practitioner. I am a graduate of the program and learned many things to assist my transition from University to a Career in CT and beyond!