My latest attempt to discover my perfect job led me to a talk on 'Working in Radio, Film and TV' at Warwick University. By all rights, this report should be appearing on Warwick Careers' website, but I was given the wrong email address- by the time this mistake was rectified, the role had been filled. I'm not bitter.
I've been to a few of these career talks now. It's difficult to pinpoint the exact purpose; more often than not, it means different things for different people. Like Christmas. There have been varying degrees of success in recent months. Last year, I attended a talk on 'Marketing and Advertising', which, in all honesty, left me feeling a little bit broken. In recent months, I've decided to pursue the dream that I've latently harboured for much of my life, once I gave up the hope of playing for Birmingham City.
Sports journalism has always been the ambition, and, unwilling to restrict myself to one medium, I've brought myself along to this talk, under no illusions. Six speakers, each, understandably, looking rather pleased with themselves. And why not? Media, we would be repeatedly reminded, is one of the most notoriously difficult industries to break into.
The first person, a Warwick alumnus (one of five to frequent the Copper Rooms in their student days), was a 'Freelance Shooting Researcher'. He'd worked as a runner. He revealed he'd worked on Splash! with Tom Daley. Boos almost rang round the lecture theatre. That show seems to have become the TV equivalent of saying you're a traffic warden, or a Conservative MP. Interestingly, and, for someone who's spent some seriously dull weeks sat in an office making tea, the speaker suggested that work experience was not the be-all and end-all. Admittedly, this went against the grain of the evening, but, if that particular Warwick student can find his lucky break into the industry, why can't this one?
The second speaker, a radio producer on Capital FM in Birmingham, took the more well-trodden path. He'd worked on RaW (Warwick's student radio station), produced demos, joined street teams, and used phrases such as 'Theatre of the Mind'. Radio is still one of the most versatile forms of media out there.
The speaker that intrigued me most, naturally, was the Director of Strategy for talkSport, the commercial radio station. talkSport often gets a bad press from those who religiously rely on the BBC's sports radio coverage, but, in recent years, has become a serious player. It is, at times, sensationalist, but it has overtaken BBC Radio 5Live, in my opinion, as the most entertaining sports broadcaster. It engages fans, it provokes debate, and approaches issues from the angle of the modern day supporter. The football betting market is growing by the day, and talkSport taps into this, offering live odds during commentary, updating us on presenter's 'accas' (accumulator bets), and really driving home the twin elements of social media and gambling, something which, through 'tipster' accounts, are natural bedfellows.
As my thirst for regularly attending matches dwindles amidst a backdrop of abysmal ownership and growing apathy, I have enjoyed the 'armchair' supporter's experience. I can tell what's good about football coverage (talkSport's 'Matchday Live' coverage), and what's bad (the levels of punditry on Match of the Day). I've grown up with local radio, particularly their football coverage. Contrasts between the premier commercial local football broadcaster and the BBC's equivalent are vast. Each has a place, but who knows what shape coverage will take in a few years time? For a start, the producers on Match of the Day might realise that 'I don't know much about this player, but-' is not an adequate level of punditry for the fee that certain former Newcastle strikers command. Perish the thought.
And I told talkSport's Director of Strategy my thoughts. I'm still not entirely sure what networking means, but I think that was it. He seemed impressed- 'know your audience' was his message. He also pressed home that, being at a top university, and having get-up-and-go, would, more often than not, see us achieve our ambitions.
A man from BBC Radio Oxford took the option of reaffirming the difficulties of the industry. I'm not entirely sure what speakers are trying to achieve through informing us that a frighteningly low number of on-air radio jobs are currently paid, but I suppose it ensured that nobody left with any illusions. Hardly likely, considering the repeated scaremongering that students encounter with regards to jobs. If I believed everything I heard, read and saw, I'd give up my degree and pick up the dole now. It's a horrible cliché, something which football pundits seemingly use as currency, but a career path is referred to as a path for a reason. You could encounter something you'd never expected to see on that path. You could also, conversely, encounter dog shit.
Careers events are most certainly not for the faint-hearted. Unoriginal tales of 'sleeping on the sofa' still raise a nervous laugh, as does any mention of debt. This event, however, left me with more feelings of positivity than negativity. I will be looking to radio on my Year Abroad in Toronto as a means of furthering my media ambitions. If I can persuade listeners in Toronto that news of Birmingham City's latest defeat is in any way relevant to their lives, I could be onto a winner.
