Media has always played an important role in our daily lives. While earlier it was newspapers and radio, and later television, now media is all about digital. Youtube videos, podcasts, Over-the-top (OTT) media services and digital broadcasting have garnered a lot of interest which has also led to a wide spectrum of careers in the industry, from journalism to advertising, digital marketing, public relations, and corporate communications. This shift has made it necessary for educational institutions to relook at their media studies offerings which will help students stay ahead in a world where media is interactive and immediate.
A report by PwC has revealed a CAGR expansion of 8.8% for the Indian media and entertainment sector, with it, anticipated to hit Rs 4.30 lakh crore by 2026. Technology developments like IoT, AI, and OTT platforms are leading to several new career opportunities for today’s youth in this industry.
If you are someone who wants to explore something interesting for a successful career, here are a few new opportunities in the media industry you can explore.
Specialise in digital mass media
For students who identify themselves as creative personalities, exploring a career in the media industry gives a chance to enrol in courses that are interesting and build their creative skills. For example, those who love to create digital videos and audio content can opt for courses such as BA in digital and mass media with a specialisation in digital video production and monetisation where students are trained on the latest technology tools to produce, distribute, and monetise media properties across digital multimedia industries. Students are provided hands-on experience in mobile journalism where students have been imparted skills in producing, directing, and broadcasting live content. Students learn how to shoot, edit, and produce video content along with learning hands-on working on live projects in workshop mode to create digital multimedia content.
Podcasts are here to stay
An interesting new format of media has emerged known as Podcasts or digital audio content. Consumption of media is fundamentally changing and hence the podcasting revolution is taking off. It is the right time for students to engage and learn more about this platform. This is an industry which is and will be looking for skilled professionals who can create, produce and market podcasts.
Master social media management
We all love being on social media and the ways it can be used to reach the target audience is unimaginable. Whether it is to build your own personal brand or for some company, learning and mastering this field of study is going to be very helpful for aspiring media students. Social media management will teach you all about optimising social media tools, how to create and curate content, and how to analyse metrics and use that for creating marketing strategies. Every company today is heavily focusing and spending on social media experts. This is a thriving field and aspiring media students should opt for this.
Data and analytics in media
Data and analytics are the buzzwords for an IT student but it is not limited only to engineering and computer science. Media also has a fair share of data and analytics where a student is taught how to collect and use rich data and turn them into meaningful multimedia content. A student is taught about data visualisation, data acquisition, basics of coding languages and visualisation platforms which is highly beneficial for visual storytelling. This is a very valuable skill set and interested students should give this a try.
Strategic communications, PR
Marketing campaigns will never get obsolete. Brand management is very important to every firm and this requires professionals with marketing communication skillsets. Opting to go for public relations, events, and corporate communication will introduce students to concepts like managing brands, how to design campaigns, how to develop content for media purposes etc. This field is also in demand in the public sector to design public policies and public campaigns.
Fashion communication
Fashion enthusiasts can explore postgraduate courses in fashion communication which train students in communicating fashion through various media formats such as journalism (print, electronic and new media), events and promotions (public relations and advertising) to different audiences. A degree in fashion communication provides a solid foundation for a career in areas like fashion journalism, photography, social media, publishing and more.
The Indian media industry is one of the largest in the world. It has been actively contributing to India’s GDP and is one of the very few industries that have been unimpacted even by the pandemic. So, if one wants to explore a career that’s resilient and growing, getting enrolled on its courses is a good way to start.
(The author is the dean of a media school)