When I graduated from Sussex University in 2005 (I can't believe it's that long ago now!) with a BA in Media Studies firmly under my belt I felt like the world was my oyster. I could work in documentary film, be a photojournalist, work in advertising or go into interactive and digital media with all the skills and knowledge I had gained on the course...but how was I going to get there? How was I going to land that vital first job in the media industry?
I'm going to be honest here…it can be hard work trying to obtain a job in the media within Brighton, as although there are many creative agencies within the city, there are also many creative people competing for positions within them. I was lucky enough to be able to gain work experience in my final year at University at a local PR firm (I say "lucky enough" as not all students have enough spare time to do this), which definitely helped me with my CV when applying for work when I graduated. So if you have the chance, try to see if you can make contacts with an agency who work in the industry you're interested in and see if you can get a little work experience with them. Not only will you gain some valuable skills to put you ahead of the competition, but you've proved yourself to be committed to learning about the industry without necessarily being paid for your time.
Both Brighton and Sussex University have careers centres that can help and advise graduates and list any current internships and vacancies. They also list any potential work experience placements. Organisations such as Wired Sussex run internship programmes within the digital media industry as well as listing local vacancies, and specialist agencies such as Escape Hatch Media can match jobseekers with local media employers.
The team at Wired Sussex run events where media agencies can meet potential employees, such as the Wired Sussex Media Jobs + Skills Fair. At this year's event, the cream of Brighton's digital media agencies gathered together on Thursday 4th March at the Brighton Corn Exchange to inspire those who want to step into the industry. The event attracted agencies and educational institutions from across Sussex to exhibit and gave advice to over 1000 delegates on entering the digital media industry, as well as advertising their current vacancies.
White Hat Media were there, along with over 20 other agencies who spanned digital design, animation, web development, SEO, E-learning and PR. Educational institutions such as Journalist Works, University of Brighton, Sussex University and Chichester College were on hand to give advice on qualifications and training, and a variety of advisors on freelancing such as The Werks, Brighton Farm and FreelanceAdvisor were on hand to share their knowledge and support local freelance talent. It was a brilliant way for anyone who wanted to work in the media to find out what all these agencies were about and if they could work together.
The guys at Wired Sussex also arranged a pretty impressive array of panel sessions, featuring speakers from the Brighton digital scene focusing on career opportunities, routes into media and "Going it Alone: How to be a Media Freelancer". These all offered sound advice into what skills you should try and gain and how, and what avenues there are into media careers.
So my advice to you if you are looking to work in digital media, in Brighton or wherever, is to try and gain experience in any way that you can. Approach local businesses or creative agencies to see if they take anyone on for work experience placements; get to know the local media scene, make contacts, attend jobs fairs like the one which Wired Sussex run. Sitting back and waiting for a job to come to you is never going to work, but if you work hard at it you will eventually get there, and then the media industry truly will be your oyster.
