Monday, December 6, 2010

Ink Press Video Production

Ink Press is a student group at WSU who gather, edit and publish student works from a variety of genres. In an interview with Ink Press we will discuss their motivations behind the project, some of their favorite pieces and what the final product will look like.



By Amanda Craven and Erica Magat

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Sport management class markets Women's Basketball game, gains hands-on experience

A revamped sport management class provided senior students the opportunity to gain real-world experience marketing a WSU Women’s Basketball game and a leg up in the competitive job market.

WSU Athletics handed the reigns for this event over to the class, making the students responsible for tasks such as including designing and posting fliers, securing radio slots, creating pre- and post-game activities and offering prize incentives for attendance.

Tammy Crawford, clinical assistant professor of sport management, and Kate Bostwick, graduate student in sport management, talk about this drastic change to the cirriculum and how the experience makes these future WSU grads more marketable.


Women's Basketball footage courtesy of Sports Video, WSU Athletics

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Senior Public Relations Project at The College of Communication

This video highlights a group of Public Relations students enrolled in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. As they finish their culminating research project, they give us insight as to how the experience was. The rest of our group members have created videos that focus on the advertising and journalism aspects of the college.



By: Kaleigh Clement and Emily Kitts

School & Stress


The majority of college students do more than just go to class. Between jobs, internships, student groups and clubs, Greek organizations, community service, hobbies, and the mass amounts of studying each class requires; it's easy to get overwhelmed. Lord forbid, something were to go astray to each strategically planned scheduled event! Overtime, college students begin to accumulate a large amount of stress. So how do we get all of those scrambled ducks back in a line?

Two words: stress management.

We all know chugging an energy drink in order to finish a paper that's due the next day is one tactic to getting the job done. However, it is not the healthiest. Incorporating mass amounts of sugar only increases short-term energy which also increases stress levels. So how do we manage to fulfill all our obligations in a healthy, yet timely manner?

Here are some stress relieving tips that students can use to not only excel while managing all the different facets of university-level education, but also can be used during real-life dilemmas.

1.Manage Time Wisely: It’s important to give yourself plenty of time to work on your studies if you want to do well, and you can save yourself a lot of stress if you plan ahead with good time management skills. Setting up a schedule for study, breaking up your studies into smaller chunks, and other time management skills are essential. Here are some more time management tips you may find helpful.

2.Get Organized: Have a system of organization for note-taking, keeping track of assignments, and other important papers. Being organized can bring you the peace of mind that comes from knowing where everything is, remembering deadlines and test dates, and clearing your mind of some of the mental clutter that disorganization brings. Keep a calendar or planner, a schedule, and a filing system for your school assignments, and you’ll find it prevents a significant amount of stress!

3.Create a Good Study Environment: Creating a soothing environment can reduce stress and help you learn. Aromatherapy, for example, is a known stress reliever, and peppermint essential oil is said to wake up your brain, so I recommend burning it as you study. Playing classical music as you study can also soothe you and help you learn (unless you find it distracting). Here's more on finding a good study space.

4.Know Your Learning Style: Did you know that we don’t all learn in the same way? It’s important to know whether you’re a visual, kinesthetic or auditory learner, as you can tailor your study practices around your particular learning style and make success easier to attain. Grace Fleming provides a quiz to help you assess your learning style so you can streamline your efforts.

5.Practice Visualizations: Visualizations and imagery are proven stress management techniques. You can also reduce student stress and improve test performance by imagining yourself achieving your goals. Take a few minutes each day and visualize, in detail, what you'd like to happen, whether it’s giving a presentation without getting nervous, acing an exam, or something else that will support your success. Then work hard and make it happen!

6.Develop Optimism: It’s been proven that optimists—those who more easily shrug off failures and multiply successes—are healthier, less stressed, and more successful. You can develop the traits of optimism and harness these benefits for yourself, and do better in your studies as a result.

7.Get Enough Sleep: If you want your performance to be optimum you need to be well-rested. Research shows that those who are sleep-deprived have more trouble learning and remembering, and perform more poorly in many areas. Work your schedule so you get enough sleep, or take power naps.

8.Use Stress Management Techniques: Chronic stress can actually impair your ability to learn and remember facts as well, stress management is one of the most important--and most overlooked--school necessities. A regular stress management practice can reduce your overall stress level and help you to be prepared for whatever comes. This self test will help you choose wisely.


More of this list is provided here.

Most Washington state jobs will require
post-secondary education within next 10 years

Washington state is ranked sixth in the nation for the number of jobs that require post-secondary education, with 67 percent of jobs requiring post-secondary education by 2018, according to research from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.

Of the more than 3.5 million job vacancies expected to be in the state by the end of 2018, the number of jobs requiring post-secondary education is estimated to grow by 259,000, the number of jobs for high-school graduates by 80,000 and the number of jobs for high school dropouts by 27,000.

Read The Daily Evergreen's full story and get WSU professors' perspective on this trend here.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

WSU Alumni Chapter presents an opportunity for networking

WSU College of Communication is launching their chapter of WSUAA or WSU Alumni Association. WSU graduates should join the group to enjoy the benefits.
Joining the chapter allows you to connect with fellow graduates, and alumni already in the industry.
Even though the resource is in its preliminary stages, it could be helpful to join. For more information visit here.

Legislators to visit WSU, discuss the future of higher education

State legislators, including District 9 Sen. Mark Schoesler and Reps. Susan Fagan and Joe Schmick, will join WSU students, faculty and staff to discuss deeper budget cuts and what they might mean for future of higher education in Washington.

Be informed, be involved, make a difference.

The event starts at 11:10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1, in the Honors College lounge. For more information and to RSVP to the event, click here.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Real World advice from College Graduates

Our professors give us relevant advice for the future, as do our parents. Sometimes a successful life seems unattainable to a budding college graduate on his or her way to the real world.

The web site Quintessential Careers has a compilation of different advice from recent college graduates. The site, founded by a doctoral student at Florida State University in the 80s, is the leader in career and job-search advice.

The web site lists different categories like job hunting tools, or career tools, and it compiles different advice from recent graduates polled from 100 different universities across the country.

Visitors can take advantage of advice anywhere from: Does college coursework prepare you for the real world? to the most important piece of advice for soon-to-be grads.

While some of the advice states the obvious (One graduate says the most important thing to remember in the real world is smile) it is advice from people, who were in our shoes just two or three years ago. Most of the information presented can be helpful advice, and it hopefully can be utilized.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

AfterCollege.com

AfterCollege is an online service that was started at Stanford University in 1999.

The website allows for college students, college grads, alumni and employers to connect through career networks at colleges and universities. Specific career networks include exclusive job opportunities, announcements and events of members of a network.

Their main goal is to create an efficient way to for job seeking students to connect with the right employers.

Today, AfterCollege testifies to have the largest number of career networks on the internet. It uses Career Management Tools to inform students and alumni about thousands of exclusive job opportunities each day.

Click here to visit the site.

LinkedIn Adds One New Member Every Second

LinkedIn, an online community for networking with colleagues, peers, bosses and recruiters, is a career networking website that boasts 85 million members and continues to gain popularity worldwide, according to a recent AFP article.

In an age where job-seekers and employers alike turn to the internet for job postings and qualified candidates, digital resumes on websites such as LinkedIn and VisualCV become invaluable feeds of information, opportunity and outreach. They also provide a form of social networking outside of very personalized Facebook and Twitter accounts, which would be a step in the right direction for many college students seeking post-graduate employment.

Furthermore, if you have built up a portfolio of multimedia productions, projects or web designs, digital resumes on VisualCV can also help to display a dynamic body of work and impress a potential employer. Showing you are technology savvy and up on the latest in social media might just give you an edge in the extremely competitive job-market.

So if you are serious about getting a job, check out LinkedIn and VisualCV.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Job Hosting Sites

Even though the job hunt for recent graduates has become far more competitive in the last decade, there have been advancements to make it easier as well. For example, job hosting websites. There are thousands of opportunities awaiting you online so forget rummaging through the classified sections and running around town searching for "work needed" signs. Instead, jump online and use the power of these sites.


Broadcasting:

http://part-time.careerbuilder.com/pt.ic/Broadcast-Journalism.htm

http://www.simplyhired.com/a/jobs/list/q-broadcastinghttp://www.tvjobs.com/
http://www.cpb.org/jobline/

Journalism:

http://www.journalismjobs.com/
http://www.journalismjobs.com/search_jobs_all.cfm
http://cubreporters.org/jobs.html
http://www.peoplesearchpro.com/journalism/jobs/

Public Relations:

http://www.prsa.org/jobcenter/
http://www.prnewsonline.com/
http://www.prcrossing.com/
http://www.prweekus.com/jobs/section/257/

Advertising:

http://www.talentzoo.com/
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/jobs-c-advertising_pr
http://www.marketingjobs.com/
http://www.mediajobmarket.com/jobs/index.jsp

Organizational Communication:

http://www.bestsampleresume.com/find-organizational-communication-jobs.html
http://www.indeed.com/q-Assistant-Professor-Organizational-Communication-jobs.html

Intercultural Communication:

http://www.job-search-engine.com/keyword/intercultural-communication/
http://jobs.trovit.com/jobs/intercultural-communication
http://www.indeed.com/q-Intercultural-jobs.html
http://www.bestsampleresume.com/find-intercultural-communication-jobs.html

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Economic Dissatisfaction Affecting College Student's Mental Health


A series of recent studies shows that depression and anxiety among college students and recent college graduates is the highest it has been in over 10 years.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, a questionnaire used to assess a variety of mental disorders, was administered to large samples of college students by researchers at San Diego State University. The survey has been used to collect mental health data on United States college students since as far back as 1938.

According to the survey, eight times as many college students meet the criteria for major depressive disorder and/or generalized anxiety disorder than 10 years ago.

Interestingly, the increase in anxiety and depression appears to be due to young people’s changing values and views about the world.

According to Jean Twenge, the lead researcher behind the study, college students have experienced a generational shift from “intrinsic” to “extrinsic” goals. Intrinsic goals deal with a person’s sense of self worth, development, and understanding of the world. Extrinsic goals focus on material wealth, status and how other people perceive them.

Twenge noted a poll of college freshmen that found “being well off financially” was more important to them than “developing a meaningful philosophy of life.” This attitude is drastically different from years past when the opposite was true, Twenge said.

This extrinsic concern is supported by research at Harvard University. The 17th Edition Survey of Young Americans’ Attitudes toward Politics and Public Service by Harvard University shows that financial obligations and employment are the number one concern among college students.

Here were some of the findings:

- 85% think the current economic state will make it difficult for their graduating class to find permanent jobs upon graduation.
- 62% are concerned with meeting their bills and obligations.
- 59% are worried about having money for “extras”
- 59% are worried about finding an affordable place to live.
- 47% worried about being able to live in the city of their choice after graduation.

The Panetta Institute for Public Policy and Hart Research Associates support these findings in their 2010 Survey of America’s College Students.

According to the survey, 83% of students view the economy as weak, and 40% say they have been personally affected as a result. In fact, 74% of college seniors said they are worried about finding a job after graduation, the lowest number the survey has ever seen.

Other concerns include having too much student loan debt (44%), too much credit card debt (25%), being able to afford health care (31%) and their personal financial situation (68%).

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Graduate School: Where To Go & How To Get There


As we reach the end of the 120-credit requirement list and our Degree Audit Report is turning green, a lot of us are wondering: what now?

There is a fork in the road and we can either go two ways: more school or more work. The recent budget cuts to higher education are swaying our minds from the possibility of textbooks and student loans. However, the economy is preventing us from starting our careers we've worked so hard to begin. So what to do and where to go?

Well, the first glimmer of a silver lining rests within scholarships, grants, and fellowships. If you're involved in any club, Greek chapter, multi-cultural center, or foreign exchange program; you're chances at receiving funding will increase. Just put yourself out there and you never know money might just fall from the sky. Here is a list of scholarships available in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.
The deadline is in 11 days!

If you’re looking at moving forward to graduate school the practice GRE (Graduate Requirement Exam) is offered FOR FREE on November 13 from 8-5 in the CUE. WSU also offers free MCAT, DAT, OAT, PCAT, and LSAT practice tests for other WSU students on this day. For more information, go here.

Once you've figured out the finances, finished taking the examinations, the finals step is deciding where to go for your masters/doctorate degree. Whether you wish to stay within the field of communication or decide to venture out, here is a list of the best graduate schools in the United States.

By the time you have spent a few more years in the classroom, the economic storm should have settled and you will have obtained not only more knowledge, but a faster route to eliminating debt as well.

Use Social Media to Create Personal Branding

You can have the opportunity to create a personally branded resume by making use of social media. Interviewers, recruiters and hiring managers will search for you long before they call you for an interview. By creating a social media resume, it will enable you to maximize your own personal marketing.

A social media resume is a collection of your educational background, professional experience, references, contact information and a gallery of your work. It enables people to see your qualities, skills, abilities and however else you choose to market yourself.

One way to create a social media resume is to create a Google Profile. Blogging, podcasting, video productions and photo galleries are other ways to use social media. To find out information about how to create your own social media resume click here.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

U.S. Census bureau

This site can be of great use to graduates. The census bureau has many tools and references that help compare different cities, states towns...

Click here to visit the site

America's Wealthiest and Poorest States

This article compares different states' median income. It is helpful to see where people have a stable job and income. Keep in mind that the comparisons don't take into account the cost differences between states; however, it is helpful for college graduates to maximize their potential careers by going to the states that provide the best jobs and incomes.

Read more here

Midterm Election Results Affect Us

Regardless of how many college students and recent graduates exercised their right to vote in these midterm elections, the results will affect everyone - so stay informed.

Click here to see local, state and nation-wide results from Seattle's KOMO News.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Another Change to the Future of Journalism?

Marketplace reports that hyper-local news websites where volunteers post updated news and events with their community are among the growing online trends. So while qualified and paid journalists are losing their jobs, citizens report the local news. Is this the future of journalism?

Click here to see the full story.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

The Keys to Networking

Networking is a very important factor to finding a job. The U.S. Department of Labor said that about five percent of job seekers find jobs through the open market. The open market consists of internet, print and help wanted ads.

24 percent of job seekers land jobs by cold-calling companies directly, and 23 percent find jobs through employment agencies, college career offices and executive-search firms.

However, 48 percent obtain jobs through referrals. These people get referrals by networking. Paired with an excellent resume, networking is one of the most important skills to be successful in their job search.

Click here for 8 Keys to Better Networking

Friday, October 22, 2010

Professional Social Networking Sites: Beyond Facebook


In high school we used MySpace, in college we were glued to Facebook and Twitter, but where do you go for social networking after your studies?

Did you know there are social networking websites that cater to professional and business groups and individuals? These sites provide the ability to list online resumes, connect with professors and employers, and even search for jobs in your area.

LinkedIn is a new professional networking sites that a lot of companies use to recruit new employees. Also, it's a good place to network with other alumni from your college. The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication Alumni networking site is located here.

VisualCV is another great social networking site for those looking to display their online resume. However, VisualCV takes communicating to the next level. With this program, your recent achievements go beyond words. You can utilize multi-media to present recent projects you have created. This means any type of PowerPoint, SoundSlides, Podcast, video, photographs, artwork, large files of writing, and other various accomplishments. It makes the whole job searching process a little more entertaining for both the employer and the job seeker.

Now, after you've gotten the whole job security on lockdown (even though that may seem like an unknown concept in this recession) there are many social networking sites for business to connect to each other. Once you've acquired a group of contacts in your city by networking on MEETin.org, organize an event so that you can meet face-to-face

Another great social networking sites mainly for businesses is Focus. Focus is a business destination where business professionals can help each other with their purchase and other business decisions by accessing research and peer expertise. Most importantly, Focus provides open, quality information for all businesses that is freely available, easily accessible, and community powered.

*Also, if you're looking for a nanny/babysitting job to make it through the summer and aren't prepared for an internship. Care.com is a great place to social network between those needing a care provider and those looking for work.

For other various social networking sites go here.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Health Care Reform Covers College Grads

President Obama's Health Care Reform is in full swing this year, with many of its benefits reaching college and recent graduate populations. Obama explains the major changes in this three-minute video.


Video courtesy of YouTube user whitehouse

NPR Fires Employee of 10 Years Over Controversial Statement


National Public Radio (NPR) fired Juan Williams on Wednesday following some controversial comments Williams made about Muslims on The O'Reilly Factor on Monday night.

Williams appeared on The O'Reilly Factor to weight-in on a debate about the fears some Americans may have towards average Muslims following the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
"I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country," Williams said. "But when I get on a plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they're identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."

Williams went on to say that despite this initial reaction, it is vital that Americans recognize that the attacks of 9/11 were committed by extremists.

Click here to watch the debate.


NPR CEO Vivian Schiller issued a formal statement on Wednesday acknowledging the termination of William's contract.
"Juan has been a valuable contributor to NPR and public radio for many years and we did not make this decision lightly or without regret. However, his remarks on 'The O'Reilly Factor' this past Monday were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR," she said.

Schiller spoke at an Atlanta Press Club meeting today, telling the audience that Williams should have kept his feelings about Muslims between himself and "his psychiatrist or his publicist."

Dozens of news outlets are weighing-in over NPR's decision to fire Williams, including the Washington Post, ABC News, CNN, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee issued a statement calling for federal funding cuts for NPR.

"While I have often enjoyed appearing on NPR programs and have been treated fairly and objectively, I will no longer accept interview requests from NPR as long as they are going to practice a form of censorship, and since NPR is funded with public funds, it IS a form of censorship. It is time for the taxpayers to start making cuts to federal spending, and I encourage the new Congress to start with NPR," Huckabee said.

For more coverage on this developing story, click here.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Northwest Public Radio SoundSlide

By Amanda Craven and Erica Magat

Cable 8 Prepares Students for the Real World

Adam Wallberg, president of Cable 8, and Marvin Marcello, Cable 8 adviser, describe new studio upgrades and how they give students experience in a professional environment.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Knowledge After College

In an opinion piece, a man from Towamencin, Penn. makes a startlingly insightful comparison between Ray Bradbury's dystopian novel "Fahrenheit 451," cerca 1950, and American society today. The book might sound familiar, but the world we live in seems shockingly estranged.

"33 percent of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.

42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college.

80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year."


And the statistics get scarier. This opinion piece will make you think.... Then it will spur you to promise yourself, "Not me. Not ever."

Read it here.

Journalism Graduates Face Lowest Employment in 24 Years

Journalism students are facing the lowest level of employment in a 24-year history, according to a recent study by the University of Georgia.

The study surveyed more than 2,700 students who graduated in 2009 with a journalism or communication bachelor degree and found that only 55.5% were able to find full-time employment within a year of graduation. This number is down 4.9 points from 2008, and 14.7 points from 2007.

Graduates with a masters degree were slightly better off, holding an employment rate of 61.9% (3.5 points down from 2008.)

The results were published in the Annual Survey of Journalism and Mass Communication Graduates by the University of Georgia’s Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research.

In addition to low employment levels, the study revealed a stall in employee salaries and a continuous drop in benefits. The median annual wage currently stands at $30,000, a number that has not budged since 2006. As far as benefits, only 52.9% of graduates reported adequate medical coverage, a 6.3 point drop from 2009. Life insurance benefits also dropped from 49.1% to 41.7%.

Lee Becker, director of the research program at the University of Georgia and co-author of the report, offered a ray of hope for students hoping to obtain a job post-graduation.

In an interview with the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, Becker said that “in 2009, there was a clear growth line after October 31, which didn’t happen the year before.”

Other promising trends showed that 2009 graduates who were involved with web writing and design had an increase in employment from 50.6% to 58.2%.

The report concluded that “given that digital activities are certainly a key part of communication work; the suggestion is that the quality of the jobs the 2009 graduates took, on average, was at least slightly higher than had been true for the 2008 graduates.”

New NPR Initiative Turns Local Journalists Into Government Watchdogs

National Public Radio (NPR) announced a new journalism initiative today that aims to encourage comprehensive assessments of governmental impact on local communities.

The initiative, called Impact on Government, recently received a $1.8 million grant from the Open Society Foundations (OSF). OSF is a privately owned foundation that works with local education, public health, and independent media representatives to implement initiatives that seek to advance justice and ensure government accountability.

“This initiative will provide the public not just with information, but with the context they need to hold local governments to a higher level of accountability,” said NPR President and CEO Vivian Schiller in a press release today. “Our network provides a perfect vehicle for cross-state, cross-region and national analysis of the most critical issues facing our country."

Eight states will participate in this year-long study that kicks off March 2011. NPR is encouraging member stations to submit applications to join the initiative with the hope that all 50 states will eventually adopt the program.

Ann Beeson, the executive director of U.S. Programs at OSF, said in the release today that “a strong democracy requires a diverse, independent, and highly functioning watchdog press to help people hold the government and private sector accountable. The dramatic decline in news coverage at the state level has left millions of people significantly less informed about what is happening in their own backyards. We are confident that NPR, its member stations and partners can help fill that void with much needed in-depth and analytical reporting for communities of every size in every corner of the country.”

Impact of Government will focus on governmental issues and decisions that have the greatest impact on the public. The initiative aims to incorporate a wide range of public radio stations that will develop focused news coverage critical to their particular region. NPR will work as a home base, providing editorial, technical, and collaborative assistance for associated channels and helping individual stations to develop their own unique approach.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

On-line Classes Offered During Winter Break


WSU Pullman will launch a three-week online session during winter break 2010-11.

Students can take one online three-credit course between Dec. 18 and Jan. 7. Five courses will be available, each chosen based on high demand and its effect on degree completion. The courses are: Economics 102, Communications 101, Anthropology 316, General Education 110 and General Education 111.

“As a university, we must continue to explore different ways to help students make timely progress toward graduation,” said President Elson S. Floyd. “The winter session is a promising effort in that regard, and we will be closely monitoring its impact.”

Registration begins Nov. 8 - the same time as registration for spring semester - and ends Dec. 3. The fee is the same as regular tuition: $430 per credit for residents, $982 per credit for nonresidents.

More information and registration details are available at http://winter.wsu.edu

To Move Out or Not to Move Out, that is the Question...

According to MonsterTRAK’s 2007 survey of college students and recent grads, 48 percent of the Class of 2007 said they planned on living at home for at least a few years post graduation. Over 42 percent of graduates said they were living at home in a survey done in 2006.

Let’s face it, majority of college grads are in debt with over $20,000 in tuition loans. It is smart to live at home if you are in debt to get your finances in order, at least for a couple years.

Bill Coplin, author of 25 Ways to Make College Pay Off, thinks otherwise.
He said there are major downfalls of living at home post graduation.

First, he said the graduate will experience an “unrealistic level of comfort, making a break for independence difficult.” Second, he said, “The financial pressure to stick [with] a job and work hard is not there if he can quit and not become homeless.” His third point was that the graduate is unwilling to become an adult.

If you decide to move back in with your parents, make living easier for you and for them by following some of the tips called Make Living at Home Work for You.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Is Graduate school the right route?

Many students are relying on graduate school to further their education and help them get a leg up in the job world. A lot of school of communication graduates are told that experience is the most important commodity when applying for jobs in the field, but the Murrow College of Communication offers graduate programs for students that have an interest in furthering their education in communication-related studies.

Before making such a big decisions, Communication majors should weigh their pros and cons. First and foremost is money. With budget cuts, student loans and a poor economy, graduate school is a big investment. Before deciding to take the plunge, understand that the communication field is always changing. It is not plausible that you will be working in the exact same field, doing the exact same thing your whole life. When considering the ever-changing field, graduate school might seem like an extreme investment.

On the other hand,it may yield positive results. Blogger Penelope trunk lists 7 reasons why she thinks graduate school is overrated. Read here her reasons for heading straight for the workforce.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

How to Get Involved with the College of Communication


Washington State University Edward R. Murrow College of Communication is ranked 4th in the nation for a reason.

The college is the the only program in the Northwest that offers sequences in all six communication fields: advertising, broadcasting, communication, communication studies, journalism, and public relations. Along with all of these program is a large calendar events to invite the students to get involved. Build your resume, learn some valuable knowledge, and network with collegues and professors.

To attend future Edward R. Murrow College of Communication events check out the annual calendar: http://communication.wsu.edu/overview/news/calendar.htm

New Curriculum for Murrow Students

Worried about finding a job post-graduation? Never fear! The Murrow College of Communication has you covered with plans for a new, adaptive curriculum to better meet the needs of the current media environment.

Starting next fall, the college will be focusing their efforts on more technology, stronger writing skills, and a vibrant international program designed to give students ample experience and exposure.

The new program is also implementing additional Christmas courses for students who want to stay ahead during the long break.

Check out the full story at http://dailyevergreen.com/story/32605

Monday, October 4, 2010

Living Arrangements Post Graduation

The following audio productions discuss where current WSU students plan on living after they graduate.







Government Confuses 'Freedom of the Press' with 'Freedom to Oppress'

A Free Press Means Free From Government Control

In a new interview with Rolling Stone magazine, President Obama admits that media bias is a problem. "The golden age of an objective press was a pretty narrow span of time in our history."

According to a new article in The American Spectator, media bias starts before journalists graduate.

Some college officials, such as Columbia University President Lee Bollinger, think that the government should serve the roles of "guardian and supporter of the free press." In a recent letter to The Wall Street Journal titled "Journalism Needs Government Help," Bollinger advocated for "global broadcasters" and government intervention that is making a lot of journalists nervous.

The Spectator article states that "state control, propaganda and spin are the new models for American journalism according to the man in charge of one of the most prestigious journalism schools in the United States."

To read the rest of this article, visit http://spectator.org/archives/2010/10/04/a-free-press-means-free-from-g

Friday, October 1, 2010

Glenn Johnson Gives Advice to Murrow Students

This following audio clip consists of interviews with Glenn Johnson, Washington State University Broadcasting Professor and Pullman Mayor, and Jud Preece, Alumni Relations Marketing Director. Our conversion consisted of famous Murrow graduates, their outlook on the economy for future students, and ways in which students can connect with Murrow Alumni.

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Thursday, September 30, 2010

Managing Your Money

During college years many people settle for Top Ramen, Mac N Cheese or left over pizza for breakfast as part of the college student norm. However, once you graduate and find a job, you will have to manage a paycheck.

The more money you have, the more responsibilities will come. The link below will provide you with 100 rules on how to manage your money in these areas: how to pay off debt or loans, lifestyle, budgeting, investing, bills, finding deals and how to keep your credit in shape.

100 Essential Money Rules for Life After College

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

College Degrees: Cost vs. Benefit

On Sept. 21, the College Board published a study that found people with bachelor's degrees, on average, earn about 66 percent more than those with a high school diploma during their lifetime, and about 42 percent more than those with an associate degree.

Taking into consideration the difficulties facing 1) state and federal governments, 2) colleges and universities, and 3) students and their families in trying to balance budgets and help students continue higher education, the report illustrates some of the economic and non-economic gains resulting from higher education -- health outcomes, community involvement, and other life patterns -- according to a WSU Today article.

Find helpful graphs and read the full article here.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

International Job Opportunities

College graduates should not rule out international opportunities when looking for a job. Searching the international job market can yield effective results. Jobs in the international market tend to be more temporary, but a lot of employers offer decent pay and a secure opportunity. Experiencing another culture could be beneficial, and it might give an edge over the competition in today's struggling economy.
Here is an opportunity in Lima, Peru for college graduates with copy editing, writing, and communication backgrounds.

http://www.koechcorp.com/internship2011.htm

Monday, September 27, 2010

New Journalism Jobs (Audio)

Below is a podcast explaining a few new jobs on the market for a journalism graduate.















Obama Urges Students to Stay Informed, Vote

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden spoke at universities around the Midwest on Monday, pitching to young voters the importance of staying politically active and voting in midterm elections.

He said the midterm elections might not be as exciting as the 2008 presidential race, but that it is still a "big choice. That has big consequences. ..."

"Back in 2008, a lot of young people got involved in my campaign because they... generally felt that we needed to bring about fundamental changes in how we operate," Obama said.

He said due to the financial crisis and constant argument in Washington, he understands why we are thinking "things haven't changed as much as we would have liked or as quickly as we would have liked -- even though the health care bill got passed, financial regulatory bill got passed, and we brought an end to our combat mission in Iraq. Still it seems as if a lot of the old politics is still operating in Washington."

His response is that all change is a slow progression, and that these elections are crucial in determining what that will look like.

Read the full Huffington Host story here.

Ask the Experts: College Debt and First Jobs

According to one CNN statistic, only 20 percent of college graduates land jobs immediately after graduation opposed to the 50 percent that did in 2007. So how are new grads, loaded down with debt and newly entering into the workforce, going to get jobs in this economy?  Here's what Debbie Edwards, senior associate director of the Center for Advising and Career Development, and Chio Flores, director of Financial Aid, had to say:

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Top 10 Cities for College Grads

If you’re moving back home or you’re venturing across the country to a new city, you’re going to be looking for a place to live when you start your first full-time job. After research, CBCampus.com and Apartments.com created a list of the top cities for new grads, factoring in entry-level job openings and cost for a one-bedroom apartment.

Top 10 best cities with the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment:

1. Philadelphia $962
2. Boston $1,343
3. New York $1,520
4. Phoenix $741
5. Chicago $1,029
6. Dallas/Fort Worth $755
7. Los Angeles $1,435
8. Houston $778
9. Detroit $699
10. Atlanta $773

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Journalism Schools Offer Credit for Work in Partnership with AOL's Patch Media

In an arrangement called PatchU, AOL's Patch Media said its editors will also provide a graduate level education to students from 13 journalism schools who will work for the company in exchange for college credits, according to a USA Today article.

Until AOL unveiled this partnership today, Patch was simply "a provocative new business that sells ads on websites filled with hyper-local news."

Now it also will be a vessel for aspiring journalists to learn how to "pitch and write stories, cover local events, shoot and edit photos and videos, integrate content with social media and produce stories online using Patch's leading content management system."

Patch said its sites offer news to more than 500 neighborhoods in 20 states, claiming this will make it the nation's largest hirer of full-time journalists this year, according to the article.

Although WSU does not a participate in this particular program, it is important for Murrow College students to continue to network and utilize WSU's own occupational partnerships. Again, check out COUGlink, or peruse Patch's job listings here.

Recent College Graduate: Hard Work Pays Off

Recent college graduate Bradley Dempsey struggled to land a permanent journalism job after his local newspaper hired him fresh out of college as a reporter and laid him off two months later due to budget cuts.

Instead of sulking, however, he decided to write an article about it for The Columbia Daily Tribune.

Dempsey said despite the fact that he has been stocking shelves and bagging groceries for IGA two years after earning a degree in communication, he is undeterred in his goal "to work as hard as I can, as long as I can, until my shift is complete. I can’t outsmart everyone I encounter, but with the right effort, I can outwork them. Though I do not want to stock shelves the rest of my life, I believe I will achieve better in the near future."

This mindset he dubbed the "Stock Boy Mentality," meaning "take stock in hard work paying off" in all arenas of life. He said long shifts, low pay and thankless work does not necessarily constitute wasted time for a college graduate. After all, income is income, it is an opportunity to pick up useful knowledge and occupational skills, and society does not owe you anything just because you decided to go to college, said Dempsey.

"The worst thing a person can get is a sense of entitlement," Dempsey said. "When I lost my job at the newspaper, I thought I was entitled to be a journalist again and deserved every position in journalism I applied for. In fact, I thought I deserved a job for every position I applied for, journalism or not. ... This was entirely the wrong idea. ... Some people would say, for the past two years, I wasted my education and my hard work, but I see the opposite."

To discover his hard-learned life lessons, read the full article here.

Tips to Perfect your Resume

So much stock is put into the resume. From the time you are a senior in high school, your professors drill into your head the importance of constructing a record of your experiences. A resume is a future employer's first impression of you as a future employee. These tips from the New York Daily News are designed to help you construct a resume worthy of landing your future job.

Job recruiter Brad Karsh,knows what it takes to truly stand out to an employer. These nine tips will help give you the edge you need to defeat the competition.
1. Show, don’t tell. “Ninety-nine out of 100 people write what I call a job-description resume versus an accomplishment resume,” Karsh says. “I already know what a salesperson does. I want to know what you did.” Rather than writing, “I worked with clients selling products,” illustrate your role with examples like, “I sold the first product to Harlem Hospital.”

2. Update your resume regularly. “People will say, I don’t remember how many awards I won, and that’s a shame,” Karsh says. “They’re missing some important information because they haven’t updated their resume in 10 years.” Tweak your resume every six months. You don’t have to rewrite the whole thing. Just pick four or five of your best accomplishments and add them in.

3. Mind the length.
“It’s ideal to have a one-page resume, but if you’ve been working for 10 years and have enough good stuff to put on two pages, that’s fine. But never more than two pages.” A student’s resume, on the other hand, should never run longer than a page, since you haven’t done much yet.

4. Support everything you say.
“A pet peeve of mine that people do all the time is they will fill the resume with what I call self-ascribed attributes,” Karsh says, “like, I’m a hard worker. Well, would you write that you were a lazy worker?” Back up your claims with strong examples. “I have great communications skills, having delivered more than 60 presentations to audiences as large as 1,000 people,” sends the message better than, “I’m a good communicator.”

5. Edit your extracurriculars.
“If you sit on the board of the American Cancer Society, or play a big community service role, then it’s a great idea to throw that on,” Karsh says. “But I wouldn’t have 17 bullet points.” List just a couple of items, especially those where you play a leadership role or help benefit the community.

6. Ditch the personal bio.
“Believe it or not, I see that a lot of people put their marital status, height, weight, age and Social Security number on their résumé,” Karsh says. “That has nothing to do with the job.” This is just going to make the job recruiter extremely uncomfortable, as companies can get into serious legal trouble if it appears they’ve discriminated against an applicant based on age or appearance.

7. Tailor the resume to the job.
“What a lot of people do is go on-line, see 50 jobs, and click apply, apply, apply, and that doesn’t work,” Karsh says. You want the recruiter reading your résumé to start nodding their head as soon as they pick it up. So if the job calls for someone who can do sales, move any of your sales-related bullet points to the top of the list. “Reading the job description and tailoring your achievements is how you can stand out in this sea of hundreds and sometimes thousands of candidates.”

8. Typos are inexcusable.
“The resume is supposed to be you at your best, and if you can’t be typo-free on a single sheet of paper or two, what will you be like when you’re working?” Karsh asks. “Typos read as careless.” The recruiter is sifting through thousands of resumes to hire one person. Don’t give them an excuse to toss yours aside!

9. Remain relevant. Sometimes more experienced job seekers add six or more bullet points from a job or internship they had 10 years ago. “At this point, nobody cares that you helped launch the Commodore 64 computer,” Karsh says. Focus your resume on what is most relevant now, and touch upon past successes briefly. “These things [like your college internship] need to
start fading off your resume over time.”

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/04/15/2009-04-15_how_to_perfect_your_resume_to_land_the_job_you_want.html#ixzz10E2mNUrt

WSU Makes Top 25 in Recruiter Picks

State universities have become a favorite of companies recruiting new hires, according to a Wall Street Journal survey of top corporate recruiters whose companies last year hired 43,000 new college graduates. On Sept. 13, a survey asking companies to rank schools that produce the best-qualified graduates overall and by major ranked WSU No. 25 in the nation.

While recruiters reported large student bodies, opportunities for partnership and corporate budget constraints as key factors in this new revelation, they also said "graduates of top public universities are often among the most prepared and well-rounded academically, and companies have found they fit well into their corporate cultures and, over time, have the best track record in their firms."

It is important to explore university-company partnerships for student internship and job opportunities.

In the Journal article, for example, the head of General Electric Co.'s recruiting efforts said upwards of 80 percent of GE's new-graduate hires come from its summer internship pool of 2,200 from about 40 key U.S. schools—many of them state schools.

Other companies reported liking certain schools so much they set up offices nearby, as universities and companies often strike research collaborations that include student participation. These partnerships also allow companies get an early look at promising students and boost brand awareness among talented students.

WSU's Center for Advising and Career Development utilizes its partnerships with leading companies to provide an on-campus interview program, career fair and COUGlink, a website where students can access career event and workshop information, post their resume for prospective employers and peruse internship and job postings.

Read the Journal article here. See the listing of the top 25 universities here.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Consider the Cost of Living

Students at Washington State Universities Edward R. Murrow College of Communication know they will get a job after they graduate. Whether they go into advertising, broadcast news, journalism, or public relations,there will be a demand for such skills in every city in America.

However, the allure of the big city is hard to ignore. We see the major media outlets nestled in a bed of skyscrapers and we think, "That's where I should be."

But is it? Would we really make more money, have better careers, and make a more prominent name for ourselves if we lived in Seattle as opposed to Spokane?

My advise to you is this - Consider the cost of living.

This website - http://www.homefair.com/ - offers a variety of essential resources such as a salary calculator, city reports, school reports, moving companies, and more that provide detailed and accurate information to help you make educated moving decisions after you graduate.

One such tool is the cost of living calculator. Let me give you a little preview.

1. Advertising:

- The national average expected salary for a typical Advertising Coordinator in the United States is $50,139.
- The median expected salary for a typical Advertising Coordinator in Pullman, WA is $48,126.
- In Spokane, WA the median salary for the same position is $50,610.
- In Seattle, WA the same job makes $56,356.

Let's say you decide to move to Spokane right after you graduate, but when you find out you could make an extra 6 grand a year in Seattle, you consider another move.

Cost of living:


- The cost of living in Seattle, WA is 25.8% higher than in Spokane, WA. Therefore, you would have to earn a salary of $60,552 to maintain your current standard of living.
- Moving to Seattle from Spokane will cost you $6,962 in net change in disposable income.


2. Broadcast news

- The median expected salary for a typical Media Planner in the United States is $48,460.
- The median salary for the same job in Spokane is $48,915.
- In Seattle, WA the median salary is $54,469.

Cost of living:


- The cost of living in Seattle, WA is 25.8% higher than in Spokane, WA. Therefore, you would have to earn a salary of $60,972 to maintain your current standard of living.
- Moving to Seattle from Spokane will cost you $7,010 in net change in disposable income.

3. Journalism

- The median expected salary for a typical Reporter I in the United States is $31,371.
- In Spokane, WA the salary only increases a little, with $31,666.
- In Seattle the median expected salary for a typical Reporter is $35,261.

Cost of living:


- The cost of living in Seattle, WA is 25.8% higher than in Spokane, WA. Therefore, you would have to earn a salary of $39,471 to maintain your current standard of living.
- Moving to Seattle from Spokane will cost you $4,538 in net disposable income.

4. Public Relations

- The median expected salary for a typical Public Relations Specialist I in the United States is $44,882.
- The median expected salary for a typical Public Relations Specialist I in Spokane, WA is $45,304.
- The median expected salary for a typical Public Relations Specialist I in Seattle, WA is $50,448.

Cost of living:


- The cost of living in Seattle, WA is 25.8% higher than in Spokane, WA. Therefore, you would have to earn a salary of $56,470 to maintain your current standard of living.
- Moving from Spokane to Seattle would cost you $6,492 in net change in disposable income.

Based on these results, the average net income loss for any job in the field of communication is $6,250.50 if you moved from Spokane to Seattle. This is a small difference from one city to a bigger city. Imagine how much larger that number could be if you moved to New York or LA?

You can go to the website to calculate what the cost of living would be like in most big cities in the United States.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

The Changing Face of Journalism: 6 New Jobs That Are Shaking Things Up


As society evolves, so does the modern journalist. In an age of media overload, Facebook updates, ever-changing iPhone Apps and constant Tweeting, traditional journalists are being forced to think outside the box.

The following new careers were brought to our attention by Journalismlives.com, a website created by journalists interested in educating future generations on using interactive media to strengthen their careers.

1. The Mobile Maven

Social media is a rapidly growing phenomenon - one that journalists should be encouraged to embrace. One aspect of social media that is getting a lot of hype is the idea of mobile media. Most social media sites (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc...) have an option to link your news feed to your cell phone. This would allow the subscriber to receive up-to-date information on their phones wherever they go.

Journalismlives.com asked three organizations that already utilize mobile jobs what the people in these positions actually do.

"Above all, the mobile gurus at the Orlando Sentinel, CNN and Philly.com serve as evangelists for the rapidly growing platform, making sure their peers are aware of the opportunities and challenges mobile presents and that mobile audiences possess different wants and needs than their print and Web counterparts.

More specific duties reported by the three outlets included monitoring and responding to metrics, ensuring social media efforts play nicely with mobile, researching app revenue models, crafting breaking news plans and serving as a liaison between the newsroom and marketing, sales and advertising departments."


2. The Multimedia Reporter

Journalists need to be a master of all trades. With constantly changing job descriptions and a generation of tech-savvy graduates flocking to the news rooms, a modern journalist has to take on more than ever before.

Modern reporters , above all else, be proficient in several multimedia tools. This includes insight and knowledge regarding how to connect to more readers.

3. The Jack or Jill of All Trades

Patch, the AOL-owned network of "hyperlocal sites" is one of the top companies changing the face of journalism. Hiring more aggressivley than any othedr news brand, this organization is built to adapt.

Journalists working for this company are expected to embrace the following:

"Work-from-home (or, maybe more likely, work-from-coffee shop) local editors receive a salary (reportedly around $40K), benefits, a freelancer budget and equipment including a laptop, smart phone, camera and police scanner. Finding and writing stories, taking photographs, shooting video, recruiting freelancers, editing freelancers' work, making sure freelancers get paid and interacting with the audience on social media and in the community, local editors take care of almost everything else that goes into covering a small community (Patch targets localities of 70,000 persons or fewer)."

While this may sound over whelming, it is providing a new generation of writers an opportunity to stretch their wings and make a name for themselves. Young, entrepreneurial journalists are jumping at the chance to re-define their profession in their own unique way.

4. The Online Content Guru

Audience engagement and multimedia operation are not just job qualifications for reporters - editors and web producers are also making rapid changes to their resumes.

"One example is this JournalismJobs.com post for an online content editor for Gazette Communications in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The position involves many of the duties you’d expect to see in an editorial leadership role, but we think one key difference is the opening line:

This position is responsible for developing content, maintaining the voice and being the champion for KCRG.com and associated major social media accounts like Twitter and Facebook.

Here, you see not only the focus on social media, and thus audience engagement, but also attention being paid to the organization’s brand. Branding has become so important these days because your brand exists in a sea of many, and everyone wants a way to stand out."

5. The Online Engagement Specialist

Non-journalistic organizations are seeking to encorporate journalists into their field. More and more often, companies, nonprofits, and other organizations are creating a network of information based less on traditional media. These organizations are focusing more on the new media capabilities of modern journalists to spread the word about their company. This means more jobs for journalists who are willing to work in a non-traditional, public-relations style environment.

"One example is this posting from Idealist.org for an online engagement associate for the nonprofit, Green for All. The job posting says:

The ideal candidate is an Internet savvy professional, experienced with new and social media, email outreach, online advocacy and fundraising, online-to-offline mobilization strategies, and creating innovate campaigns to grow our online community and presence.

You may see this as a traditional public relations/marketing position, but like always, journalists can be a great fit in these positions because of their skill-sets. Plus, if you find a company or nonprofit that matches what you value, all the better."

6. The Journalist/Programmer

"The rise of journalist/programmers has been well documented. Masters of both database structure and story structure, journalist/programmers use their hybrid skillset to spot stories experts in only one area would miss and to tell them in ways more accessible and engaging than a stand-alone table or article.

Such workers, Mashable wrote earlier this year, "are bringing unprecedented value to both major and startup news organizations." Texas State University in San Marcos assistant professor Cindy Royal explored the professional subclass in detail in a case study of The New York Times Interactive News Technology department. How this new breed of journalist moves outlets away from mere multimedia pieces and toward truly interactive ones is among the topics her paper explores.

Precisely what a journalist/programmer does varies widely depending on the needs and resources of the organization. Some might focus exclusively on PHP, others exclusively on Flash. More likely, though, employees, as we've seen in the other jobs in this post, are generalists within their specialty."

To read the article, go to http://journalismlives.com/labor-day-survey-the-changing-face-of-journal

Welcome!


Welcome to Life After Murrow College, a group blog focusing on what to do (or not to do) after you graduate from Washington State University's Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.

As the name implies, we will be discussing jobs within the field of communication. This includes traditional jobs (journalism, public relations, advertisement, etc...) and up-and-coming jobs that many people may not be familiar with.

In addition to jobs we will be talking about location - where to live and why - based on a variety of factors. We will examine cost of living, job availability, and other vital components to bring you an array of practical information that is current and accurate.

Of course, with any job market it is important recognize and decipher the politics that contribute to the factors listed above (cost of living, job availability, etc...) Without boring you to tears, we are committed to bringing you up to speed on the basic local, state, and federal government plans and initiatives that directly affect you.

We hope you enjoy our blog, and be sure to stay posted for updates!