Week 5

This week I started the assignment for the module Advanced Digital Media and Communications. The assignment is to make a twenty-minute film or documentary. I have chosen to do a documentary on the local area of Salford. The city has recently undergone vast regeneration in areas such as Salford Quays and is the site of the MediaCityUK development; it is currently an exciting place to live. My documentary will highlight the excitement of the area but will take a comparison look at some other places in the city, which are in much need of regeneration also.  The aim of the film is to compare ‘Old Salford’ with ‘New Salford’.

I have been in contact with a local historian of the area who has agreed to do an interview for the film and a representative of Salford City Council, these interviews will take place next week.

In LPD this week I have been concentrating on occupation research, I choose to use my idea of Public Relations Office for the research, but through this exercise, I think I may have ruled this option out! It seems to include many administration duties, which do not appeal to me. It also appears that the job entails very long working hours surrounding making many phone calls to various press offices. I am happy for the insight though, as I previously imagined it to be quite a glamorous career!

The decision making task, mentioned last week has also been completed, this has resulted in me looking more closely to a career in marketing and communications, which is one of the departments that the BBC is moving the MediaCityUK in Salford.

Week 4

This week I have been concentrating on a research project that I am undertaking as part of the Communications in Media Theory module. The research is to be part of an ongoing audience analysis by the BBC. The work that is done in this module will form part of the BBC’s research. We are working in groups for this project; our group has chosen the subject of older adults and the use of the internet.

We are currently at the stage of carrying out the initial questionnaires to find the differences between internet use among different age groups over the age of 50. I am expecting to find a vast difference of responses among those aged 50-65 and 65 and over. Of the respondents already surveyed, many below the age of 65 have learnt to use the internet in a working environment and are comfortable using the internet for many different tasks. Of those older, however, there are fewer people who use the internet or know how to use the internet.

As a group we will be compiling the initial data in the coming week.

For the Learning and Professional Development module this week I am looking at decision making, and the factors that affect the decision I make. I have discovered that my style of decision making is rational, as the decisions I make are based on a logical look at the advantages and disadvantages of a particular choice. I am to use this rational approach to help me with my career options. I will take the options I outlined in the previous blog entry and way up to possible positive and negative outcomes relating to myself and to others, I will then score the desirability of the options and the likeliness of the options and hopefully this exercise will help me narrow my career choices.

Third year so far...

This blog is set up for one of my degree modules, Learning and Professional Development (LPD). I will each week be discussing the activities of this module, but will also be talking about other activities relating to my other subjects.

Those subjects are Advanced Digital Media Production, Current Issues in Media Communications, Media Law and my Dissertation.

It is currently the third week back at university as a third year, so far I have been mostly concentrating on my dissertation proposal, which I have just completed. My dissertation subject is Public Service Broadcasting, and if it remains relevant in today's media landscape. So far, I am at the desk research stage, but will be to arranging focus groups soon. I am quite excited about embarking on this project on my own; I think it will be a stressful but rewarding experience!

As part of the LPD unit, I have been focussing on my own skills and values by doing a self-assessment exercise. As part of the skills assessment, I outlined the following ideal job criteria:

I would like a job that allows further studying, such as attending training courses and vocational qualifications. I feel that by studying further as part of a particular career I can better my prospects and myself. Another desirable aspect is to take knowledge from my degree subject into my career, I enjoy my subject and would like to use it further. Although, I am also open to the range of other subject areas is in job market. I would also be looking for an intellectual challenge, as opposed to completing to same tasks each day, I would like variety in my career and to feel a certain amount of pressure to resolve issues and problem solving.

The LPD unit has also encouraged the initial generating of ideas for future careers, I undertook certain idea generating strategies and found an interest in these four options:

- A career in marketing, communications and audience research.

- A career in management services, e.g. Management Consultant.

- A career in public relations, e.g. Public Relations Officer.

- A career in advertising and marketing, e.g. Market Researcher.

Next I will be moving on to more indepth occupation research.