The media & entertainment industry is truly an exciting one. From radio and television to anchoring, advertising, audio engineering, and script writing, it offers an ocean of options to choose from. And the one thing in this world of incredible opportunities that is even more amazing, is of walking the media faculty career path.
So let us dive into this article and find out whether a career in media academics industry and the designation of a media faculty is the right choice for you!
1. Media Faculty Career Path: What Does a Media Professor Do?
The career of a media professor truly keeps one on their toes. As the term “professor” signifies one who teaches and shapes a novice’s future, the very same is the job of a media professor. It’s a day job where the professor comes to class and gives lectures on subjects like Communication Theory, Gender and Media, and Visual Aesthetics, etc. of an hour or so, for each subject that he/she teaches.
Having the knowledge of more than one sub-field under the same domain or in short, being an expert in multimedia, a media professor imparts knowledge of the same to their students.
Their prime duty is to transfer the same ground knowledge that they received in their education and day-to-day profession to the aspiring seekers of a media faculty career path. All in all, this is a vast industry, yet a very tightly knit field.
Contents: Jump to Section
1.2 Social Image
1.3 Reasons to Become a Media Faculty
2.2 Physical Demands
2.3 Psychological Demands
3.2 Related Hobbies to Take Up
3.3 Related Movies/ TV Shows
3.4 Related Fiction to Read/ Novels
4.2 Traveling Required
4.3 Average Workday/What to Expect
5.2 Threats from Automation
5.3 Common Reasons for People to Quit
1.1 Industry/Sector
Academia.
Media Industry is a broad spectrum and its faculty’s expertise is linked to all its counterparts, which are journalism, advertising, filmography, anchoring, publishing, authoring, event management, video editing, web designing, and the list goes on. Media faculties work in universities during the day and may also have a side job of working in the media industry. This can be as an author, media coordinator, director, advertising expert, researcher, and so on.
1.2 Social Image
Highly respectable
Teaching is an extremely respectable profession. As it’s a challenge to be a media faculty because of the intense and uncommon nature of the medium, it is another reason why it’s considered honorable. Media gives you fame, money and most importantly, respect. Even after completing a decade or two in this profession, it’ll still seem interesting to wake up and look forward to every morning. With multimedia being the subject matter, what reason is there for the media faculty career path to not excite you?
1.3 Reasons to Become a Media Faculty
Creative fulfillment, opportunity to work in a fast-paced environment & carry on different roles.
The main characteristic of a media faculty career path is creative fulfillment. It’s highly likely that you will always feel optimistic and enthusiastic about the kind of work it is, be it taking up media projects or teaching Media itself. The sheer fun of owning a creative, right from the birth of an idea to a full grown project is the most exhilarating factor.
As as you can probably understand by now, the media industry is extremely competitive and fast-paced. So if you can juggle keeping up-to-date with the new age media, imparting that knowledge to your students and at the same time having to do your own side job, it can be a very fun way to make a living. What’s more, there are literally a thousand different roles you can explore.
2. What It Takes to Be a Media Faculty
2.1 Personality Traits Required/ Preferred
Creativity, communication & presentation skills
The key traits to becoming a media faculty are the willingness to experiment, the strength of pure guts, and a curious and fertile mind that is constantly bending boundaries. The most important of all is the ability to communicate the same in the medium you opt for. It is also highly likely that you’ll succeed in cracking an interview for a media professor if you have a good memory, are a meticulous speaker, and an extrovert by nature. The ones with an outgoing attitude are the best suited for the world of media, even in its teachings, as its mostly a people oriented field.
2.2 Physical Demands
Long standing hours & extended working hours
This career path is formed of both rocks and grass. It’s sometimes like walking on fire and other times like walking amid a forest laden with information on information. It is extremely demanding of your physical, mental, emotional and creative intellect. Although it doesn’t literally require you to walk on fire as mentioned before, it does require you to walk from class to cabins and back. The paper checking, results, reports, research papers, and meetings require a lot of walking from time to time.
The more you act like a shape shifter and become flexible, the more will you benefit. Alongside all this is the most prominent trait of all, that is to be consistent and always motivated. Once you motivation fades, the students will feel the vibe and may not take interest in the classes. That puts a bad reputation on a faculty’s name.
2.3 Psychological Demands in the Media Faculty Career Path
Multitasking, pressure to keep students interested
The employers in the field of media academia look for a wide range of people with specific technical and personal skills. But do you know that having these skills are the last of your concerns? In order to crack the deal, you’re going to have to be enthusiastic, energetic, confident and be able to build relationships with a lot of different chaps and chapettes. Being determined and focused is necessary to multitask and manage your media faculty job.
3. How to Build Interest in a Media Faculty Career Path
3.1 Extra-Curricular Activities Recommended
There are a number of extra curricular activities that you can adopt related to the area of your interest, I mean whether on camera or off camera. Both have their own set of varying demands i.e., the ability to handle pressure, deal with deadlines and follow a discipline. These activities include debating, media and technical skills, student governance, learning a new language, scripting and directing, charity fundraising, coding and IT skills like Python, JAVA, etc.
Some requirements for these activities are as follows:
- On camera – self confidence, oratory skills, creative abilities, spontaneity, expressiveness, public speaking skills.
- Off camera – Creative skills, writing skills, development skills, ideation, team work, technical skills.
3.2 Related Hobbies to Take Up
Media is a broad term, to start with you must have an interest in reading and writing. A special affinity towards the ABCs of art and craft is a bonus. Few other hobbies include playing chess and jigsaw puzzle to enhance the brain capacity, as this field requires that greatly.
3.3 Related Movies/ TV Shows
It again depends on your area of interest. But most importantly, it has to relate to the media, entertainment, communication or any such relevant field. This can link to either documentaries, biographies, biopics, reality films or television genre.
A few notable movie examples are:
- The Man Who Knew Infinity – It talks about the mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan’s determination and journey to publishing his mathematical data through one of the top UK colleges – the Trinity College.
- The Professor and the Madman – This movie was based on the 1998 book `The Surgeon of Crowthorne’ by Simon Winchester. It portrays the life of Professor James Murray as he begins working on compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the mid-19th century.
3.4 Related Books to Read
From technical books to a master class, it again depends on your preference.
A few notable books published for this profession are as follows:
- Teaching College: The Ultimate Guide to Lecturing by Norman Eng. This book will guide you towards how to engage the students more in class.
- The Last Lecture. A book by Jeffrey Zaslow and Randy Pausch – The Last Lecture is a New York Times best-selling book that speaks on a lecture Pausch gave in September 2007 entitled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”.
- So You Want to Be a Professor? A Handbook for Graduate Students, A book by P. Aarne Vesilind – This book will clear your confusions regarding combining your degree with the teaching profession.
4. Life as a Media Faculty
4.1 Part-Time Options
In addition to the actual jobs, there are a few professions in which people can freelance or teach in addition to their day jobs. Media academia is one of them. It can be conceived to be executed from anywhere.
Of course teaching would require some qualifications and you will have to study and train yourself accordingly. There are many options, freelancing, part – time, as well as full-time. You can also have media start ups to follow your dream of owning a media company, publishing house, advertising SME, and more. You can even write a novel or publish any research work you’ve been working on for a long time.
4.2 Traveling Required
Occasionally
Not all media jobs expect you to travel far and wide. That being said, some of them naturally demand you to travel as per the need of the task you opt for. For instance, you may have to fly for a convocation, a seminar, or commonly, for a student orientation event. If in a senior position, you may also be made a judge for an educational competition like a quiz. This may seldom require some traveling.
4.3 Average Workday/ What to Expect in the Media Faculty Career Path
Oh! Busy, busy, busy!
There’s no ignoring the fact that anyone linked to the term “media” will probably have no empty slot in their schedule. Moreover, a media faculty career path is sometimes even busier than a media professional’s work.
As teaching requires you to know a subject to its core, it is imperative that it will take up most of your busy, as well as free time. Along with teaching, a media faculty is also involved with many other side jobs and research projects. An average work day will be typically a minimum of 8 hours to a maximum of 24 hours. Sleepless nights, that is. In short, a media faculty career path will demand that one does all it takes to get the education system to its optimum best.
5. Future of the Media Faculty Career Path
5.1 Retirement Prospects
Usually the retirement age is around 60 to 65, but there’s no such prevalent term as retirement in a professor’s field, as teachers never stop imparting knowledge. Usually a media faculty becomes a guest lecturer, researcher, or an author based on preference. The prospects can be facilitated in many media institutes once you have achieved a considerable name, respect and credibility in the industry. With experience of course!
5.2 Threats from AI & Automation
Does a media faculty career path feel threatened by AI & Automation?
The answer is both yes and no. Right from evolution to the Gen Z, the key to survival has only been adaptation. The faster we can adapt to the changing times the easier it will get. We must accept, every new change either by challenging it or embracing it. This greatly includes the AI. Positive change and growth will not occur without the presence of bright minds and right skills. This change is only possible when AI and Media shake hands and embark on a journey of unlimited knowledge and prime excellence.
5.3 Common Reasons for People to Quit the Media Faculty Career Path
People usually leave this field due to lack of passion, short retention and high expectations. Few other common traits that I have noticed is when people fail to meet certain unrealistic goals and demands, they find no other option but to quit. Hopefully, this is a quite rare phenomenon in a media faculty profession and more often than not, doesn’t occur. Reason being the dynamic quantum of media that is ever inspiring.
Versatility and willingness to go the extra mile to get projects finished and enrich the classroom with knowledge and fun, is of the prime priority. While you don’t necessarily need a degree for a job in this industry, you certainly need one to become a faculty. As the competition is getting tougher and tougher and many applicants are now graduates, it will be advisable to get a media degree under your belt before applying for the role of a professor.
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Curated & Edited by Prerna Sharma (CareerNuts Staff)
Read next:
How to Become a Media Faculty in India: Qualifications, Salary, etc.
Become a Media Faculty by combining your degree with your love for teaching and live life to the extreme intrigue of the colorful world of multimedia. Dr. Nima J. John discusses all about the exciting and highly respectable atmosphere of media academia from qualification requirement to salary and more.
Dr. Nima Jerrit John is the Associate Professor of Media & Communication at Amity University Mumbai.
Although Dr. Nima Jerrit John gives credit to the School of Hard Knocks a.k.a, Life, for her knowledge, she’s gained formal education in multiple spheres. She did her Bachelor of Fine Arts – Applied Arts from Govt. College of Art and Design. She also has a Master of Fine Arts – Applied Arts (Spl – Photography) degree, Master of Journalism and Mass Communication, (Spl – Broadcast Media) and lastly, Ph.D – Applied Arts (Photography) from Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj Nagpur University.
Some of her notable broadcast works include short film Rolling Berlin Film Festival, television shows like ‘Main Hoon’ For Zoom and BAJAOD for MTV, and being a part of the making of Aamir Khan Productions for “Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Naa” and “Lagaan” archive – 10 Years of Lagaan. In addition, she’s also organized webinars for Amity University Mumbai on Film Making! Dream It…Create It, and Creative Paradigms In Higher Education.
Lastly, her notable publications include ‘Disability and Right to Equality in Education’, ‘Problems and Prospects of Lutheran Women in India’ and ‘Environment, Sustainability And Livelihood’.
Originally from Nagpur, she enjoys sketching, photography, and playing cricket in her free time. You can find some of her work on the website Filmerfilms.