Choosing a Course

First of all, make sure that you're picking the right style of course. A media studies course can be quite academic in its approach and if contextual analysis of the phenomenon of the media is what you're after, then look carefully at the modules offered or the slant of the course, and make certain that what you want is there. Be ready for the sneering, but also be clear you know why you're doing it. It isn't a soft option.

If you want a more direct route into the media, then vocational courses might be your bag. If, for example, you want to do journalism ((god help you...) then look for aspects of the course that study news production, elements of bias and propaganda, or the role of the press. Its as well to remember too that there are many good postgraduate journalism courses that may be an option if you want to take a different degree.

Other courses can be quite technical and almost scientific. Photography, for example, or digital media production offer both teaching of the role of those skills in presenting images or rolling news, and the technical aspects of running a darkroom or building a website. Digital media in particular is the coming element in the media - the dotcom revolution may have stalled but, while it's slower, it's also far more sure-footed.

Since, as many an old hack will tell you, the best way to gain a job in the media is through experience and contacts, check out what links a department has for work placements and make sure that they're in the area you're hoping to work in. Many departments insist that their staff retain links to the real world and you'll need to exploit them if you're going to land that dream job.