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I am currently set to graduate college in a year and looking for a change. I was born and raised and still reside in southern california. I have always been in love with the east coast, specifically NY where I have family. However, I have fallen in love with North Carolina, specifically Raleigh and Charlotte. However, I am not too sure if it is right for me to move. I am a broadcast major and just am not sure if I will be able to find work in Sports, News, or political analyst on TV or Radio here in NC.
Anyone able to shed some insight to me on the style of living (I have actually never visited NC, I have been to Virginia, DC, and Alabama though, but I know those probably don't compare), the job market for broadcast majors (CA is really competitive and I know I won't be able to find a job here), and anything else you think I should know while considering a move here. I know I have some time, but I am looking ahead as I know I will be graduating before I know it and needing to move into the real career world.
I am not sure how you fall in love with a place having never visited so my advice is to visit the area and get a feel for it before you put the time and effort into job hunting.
You're set to graduate in a year as a broadcast journalism major, and you don't realize that the way to get hired is to start in a small market that hires new grads, trains them, build a portfolio of work, and then move up to larger markets? That's kind of concerning. Both Raleigh and Charlotte are midsized markets. They probably do hire new graduates for some jobs but I bet rarely for on-camera appearances. You should know the deal if you really are who you say you are. You prove your chops in a smaller market first, then move up.
I'd say moving to Raleigh or Charlotte is the least of your concerns right now.
UNC is one of the top Journalism/Media schools in the country. I would expect tough competition from recent grads here, too. Best thing to do, though, is check in with your school and see what help they can provide. I know UNC MJ School has a Career Services center that helps new grads land jobs.
You're set to graduate in a year as a broadcast journalism major, and you don't realize that the way to get hired is to start in a small market that hires new grads, trains them, build a portfolio of work, and then move up to larger markets? That's kind of concerning. Both Raleigh and Charlotte are midsized markets. They probably do hire new graduates for some jobs but I bet rarely for on-camera appearances. You should know the deal if you really are who you say you are. You prove your chops in a smaller market first, then move up.
I'd say moving to Raleigh or Charlotte is the least of your concerns right now.
I know I need to start in a small market, I am actually trying to get into broadcast scheduling and more of written communication for a large company with press releases and such. If I do the on camera it would be for sports. I am not interested in going into news and such. LA is the most competitive market for On air personalities. It is not the area I want to be in. I actually do not like living in California one bit. I know how to get hired and how to move in my career, so you're making it seem that I do not know what I am doing when I do. I am asking what the job market is like out there for the area that I am studying which is broadcast journalism/ print journalism. Please do not act like you know I do not know what I am doing. I am trying to learn about the area. I have been searching online and getting a feel for jobs, but I am trying to see what the perception is of the people who live there.
If you weren't here to answer my questions, there was no reason to post at all.
I am not sure how you fall in love with a place having never visited so my advice is to visit the area and get a feel for it before you put the time and effort into job hunting.
I have been looking at cities up and down the East Coast. With the industry I want to go in, I am trying to prepare myself for applying everywhere and seeing where I land. I know I may end up somewhere I have never been, so I am looking at the cities before hand to get a feel for the ones I can see myself living in. As of now NC is on my list and towards the top. I just want to know what the area is like.
I know I need to start in a small market, I am actually trying to get into broadcast scheduling and more of written communication for a large company with press releases and such. If I do the on camera it would be for sports. I am not interested in going into news and such. LA is the most competitive market for On air personalities. It is not the area I want to be in. I actually do not like living in California one bit. I know how to get hired and how to move in my career, so you're making it seem that I do not know what I am doing when I do. I am asking what the job market is like out there for the area that I am studying which is broadcast journalism/ print journalism. Please do not act like you know I do not know what I am doing. I am trying to learn about the area. I have been searching online and getting a feel for jobs, but I am trying to see what the perception is of the people who live there.
If you weren't here to answer my questions, there was no reason to post at all.
Charlotte & Raleigh are NOT small markets. According to Wikipedia, Raleigh is #25 and Charlotte is #22 in the whole country. If you're in the top 25 of markets, you're not small.
Your direct competition comes from the UNC schools, so if you are looking to go into sports it would help to keep all of those schools in mind. It also helps to know the difference between the ACC and SEC, as well as which sports are most popular for which areas.
With that having been said, the markets here are notoriously conservative and insular and tough nuts to crack. BlessedLife had it exactly right: the chances of you getting a job right off the bat in the Triangle or Charlotte are pretty dang low because those jobs expect you to have a portfolio right off the bat. They don't even have to consider you if you don't have one.
And as I said, there are feeder schools here that tend to fill a lot of those positions ... especially in an area with so many schools to choose from. You may want to aim for an area with less competition: think Charleston (#94) or Charlottesville (#183) or Greenville (#99). The TV stations tend to be owned by local organizations and tend to be more conservative than larger markets, but you'll at least get your foot in the door.
And before you accuse me of not knowing what I'm talking about, understand that I worked in that industry and have several relatives still in that field, in the #46 market and the #25 market and the #78 market.
Corporations (usually) want their pr person to have journalism experience. So don't look there for an entry level job. Those jobs are probably more competitive than the journalism job (one job per company, no nights/weekends/holidays, etc.).
Go to your school's career service office, check out journalism jobs online. How are you with farm reports? You might end up in a small market with agriculture as the main industry.
How are your copy-editing skills? Those tend to open up faster than print journalism. Can you spell and pronounce the names of hockey players? That's rather important in sports.
Last edited by 919 rtp; 11-20-2016 at 09:07 AM..
Reason: adding more
NC is great.. but like others I don't see how you can "fall in love" with a state where you've never been?
Broadcast journalism career has way, way way more opportunity in New York than in NC. If you have family there and have been there and enjoy it, seems it would make the most sense for you to at least start out your east-coast life there. The COL is obviously way higher in the NYC area; but if you are coming form Southern California it will probably be the same to you.
NC will still be here if NY doesn't work out. And you can visit NC from NY to see if you like it as much in person as you do in....theory.
I had handful of close friends from the J-school at UNC...one got started in Virginia and then settled in Greensboro (mostly because he got married and his wife was from Greensboro)......and the rest...all 4....actually ended up in NYC.
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