Syntrillium Backup Forums :: View topic

kylen · Posted - Mon Jul 21, 2003 8:44 am

Hi Forum,

A friend of mine is making an assessment of switching careers from doing software IT/development for publicly owned companies (who are currently off-shoring development tasks to India, etc.) to somewhere in a local radio/TV/Broadcast space. The point being, I think, this person wants to reside in a local type economy that kind of feeds and grows itself to some extent. Something that needs to be performed locally in other words.

Any links, journal or trade papers, organizations or other advice you might have for this career switcher just starting out ? How would they assess their skills or get some good training ?

They promise to use Cool Edit or Audition to work on commercials - if they ever make it that high, to production that is...8)

Thank you,
kylen

RossW · Location: USA

Much of what direction to turn will depend on the size community your friend is in. Cities will probably offer much more in the way of training opportunities - college courses, tech schools, adult evening classes, etc. - but may be more limited in number of entry-level positions that pay.

Assuming you're referring to the U.S., I'd suggest becoming a volunteer for a local Public Radio or TV station. It's a good way to see how things work, and many public stations welcome help at any level. With some computer skills going in, I bet your friend could get a foot in the door easily, and then branch out into programming and production. (That might also be true for commercial stations, so hit the street and want ads for broadcast/production houses in need of computer jocks... then advance from there.) Once inside, the opportunities will become clearer, as will the chance to get advice and mentoring from the pros.

Good luck!

kylen · Posted - Mon Jul 21, 2003 9:06 pm

Thanks for the great advice RossW ! Smile

kylen

Craig Jackman · Location: Canada

Lots of good colleges, university, and trade school programs for broadcasting.

Here's the bad news, once you finish a program be prepared for years of minimum wage jobs if you can find one. Be prepared to move around the country ... a lot ... as it's almost a miracle to get and keep a job in a city you love. Be prepared to work nights, weekends, and the hours nobody else wants. Be prepared to be second guessed on every creative decision you make for the next decade at least. Be prepared to listen to co-workers whine and **** about how much better things used to be and why things suck now. Be prepared to be berated by Sales Reps who make four times what you make about you not being a team player because you ask too many questions. Be prepared to question your sanity about why you work in that nuthouse a couple of times a month.

On the other hand, once you get past all the above, it can be a lot of fun. Approve

bulldog · Location: USA

If your friend is looking for new areas in which to apply his IT skills, he could freely be advised to hang around the business for a while. He could observe the tasks that are routine to radio, then perhaps use his knowledge and creativity to design new software applications that might have commercial value to the industry. If, on the other hand, he finds himself considering the abandonment of his IT career in order to explore radio's opportunities, I would advise him to be very selective. Selling commercial airtime can be financially rewarding for good salesmen and saleswomen. Ownership of broadcast properties, in part or in whole, has proven to be a bonanza for some. Engineers can also expect steady employment (though more and more of those jobs are being contracted to independent sources). Now, if he wants to be a 'star' on the air or, less visibly, working in the background doing production, he needs to be warned. The industry has devalued the worth of these positions to the extent that, apart from some exceptions, livable wages are attainable only in the largest markets, and only in a handful of stations there. If he plans to head a family, he can expect, nomadically, to move them from place-to-place. His wife will most definitely have to be a wage earner. Radio production holds some value if you excel to the extent that you can operate as an independent contractor for many stations, but competition from a sea of talented, very business-minded individuals is fierce. Being a talent on the air, i.e., ‘jock’, ‘DJ’, ‘air personality’, has been devalued by the industry to the point that he will likely find himself eligible for several of his state’s social sustenance programs. The rewards of being a talent, production or on-air, come from within. As likely as not, he will have to rely on his inner passion to get by. Many do. Many get frustrated and quit, tiring of getting bounced around, owing creditors and driving unreliable cars that break down on the street. Bottom line: if his definition of success springs from within, then go for it. If he expects to earn a comfortable living as talent, his odds are probably better in IT.

kylen · Posted - Tue Jul 22, 2003 4:20 pm

Craig and bulldog,

You have each written a very good essay which really cuts to the heart of the matter for many of us. How much passion do we have to begin, how much passion do we have to stay the course !

With these changing times in IT he could either get more creative in IT or try changing careers. Either way it's tricky. I think he'll have to 're-tool' regardless and not let a little crisis like unemployment create fear that blocks his senses too much!

Henry Ford said something like 'Fear is that thing that comes to you when you take your eyes off the target'.

So, what is the passion, what is the target ? Great points. Harder to stay focused when doom hovers.

At this point in his IT career I'm sure it would be a huge adjustment to receive apprentice wages and try to support a family. The reality of the 'starving artist' in a new field may not work for him.

Radio sounds very exciting though. I've had that same excitement (and starving) much earlier in my own career.

Maybe the audio hobby will remain that along with some volunteer work. We'll see!

Thanks guys,
kylen

RossW · Location: USA

Another avenue to investigate is blending IT/programming skill with media production in the form of computer games, web-based entertainment or training, "multimedia" content, etc. Any number of schools are offering courses or entire degree programs to meet the needs of this expanding industry. These are often focused on graphic arts, but many also incorporate the audio/video components that your friend may be more interested in. Perhaps not as much opportunity to receive mentoring through volunteering, but there's a lot of formal training that will capitalize on the computer skills your friend already has.

kylen · Posted - Tue Jul 29, 2003 12:58 pm

Thanks RossW ! :)

Art Houston · Posted - Tue Jul 29, 2003 7:22 pm

I hope I found this question in time!!!

I was in broadcasting for over 15 years, mostly radio. Tell your friend to be very careful, and clear about what he wants.

Is he independently wealthy as an adult, or are his parents willing to support him if he is still in his twenties? He will need money as an on-air talent, as there is precious little money for most announcers, unless you are at an AFTRA signator station.

Can he be happy as a presenter of someone else's, such as a consultant's, idea of what his show should be? Does he realize that most stations won't let him have any input about the music?

Certainly, any station will welcome his IT talents, in much the same way that I would be welcome as a jet pilot who would fly for free. I won't do it, and neither should your friend. To do so helps to lower the value of any profession. An all volunteer station is another matter. Now you're talking about a labor of love. I could fly relief flights overseas, or other volunteer work. Nothing wrong with that. Just don't give a profit making business something for nothing.

Sales is the bread and butter of broadcasting, and a good sales hack can make a decent living. Knowing how to "interpret" Arbitron is a valuable skill. There are seminars for that. Does your friend like sales? Clear Channel is always looking for new sales people.

This is a business that will never be much fun again, certainly compared to when it was not yet fashionable to describe sex acts on the air. Unless you are this one jerk who makes millions, you will have a small audience share in most places, and make one tenth of what your listeners think you make. Maybe your station will have you try and replicate what this one jerk does so well. What a life.

I got out of radio in 1990, and became a flight instructor ten years later. 9-11 put the cap on that career, as thousands of pilots were laid off, and carriers declared banckruptcy to escape labor contracts. I held on for a while, and finally hit the street in May, so I am falling back to voice over. Fortunately, I'm still pretty good, and I expect to sign with a New York agent soon.

Just make certain that your friend finds out what radio is all about these days before he makes ANY commitments.

kylen · Posted - Thu Jul 31, 2003 8:43 am

Thanks Art, commercial radio sounds like it can get pretty wierd at times. I've heard some DJs that I would switch off and listen to some you would probably switch off. No accounting for personal taste, eh ?

The freedom and creativity at work issue, yes very interesting...

Food for thought, thanks again.

kylen

Art Houston · Posted - Fri Aug 08, 2003 9:49 pm

Glad I could help.

Looking back, my most enjoyable years in radio were 1971 through 1983. After that, it went straight down the pipe.

Look on the bright side: IT will be coming back big time in the next few years. Catch the wave!