Like most college students, I am always trying to think of what I should be doing to get ahead in my career while also gaining as much experience as I can. Often times, that can be a difficult battle, especially when you’re not too sure what it is you’re supposed to be preparing for in the first place, and what job(s) you’re going to have in several years.
However, with Film & New Media Studies (FNSM) I feel as if the broad range and variety of skills the major teaches me are able to adequately prepare me for the future. With FNMS, I am given a broad range of skills that other majors may not offer, such as creating stories and becoming a storyteller through some form of visual or audio media, being able to think flexibly, critically, and analytically about mine or someone else’s work, and how those works can be adapted or changed. Personally, having taken multiple FNMS classes, I’ve never felt as though any of the learning was in a vacuum or a straightforward formulaic narrative. It has always felt not entirely freeform, while never being too constrictive. I always feel that in most cases I am free to choose how I go about doing my creative work, which can be a highly liberating experience.
The broad range of options that Film & New Media Studies has to offer also creates a challenge in pinpointing exactly which path you wish to take, making it difficult to plan for the future. For example, incorporating other classes such as Robots, Games & Problem Solving can add an equal or higher level of critical thinking analysis than the average FNMS course might, while also increasing an FNMS student’s technical know-how, even though it does add to the many pathways. With all that said, while the skills you learn are broad, the overall focus of each class is quite similar and allows students to be very flexible within any area in the field.
So far, I feel that the major has certainly given me the confidence and clarity to step into the field from a professional standpoint. Professors are exceptionally good at providing essential experiences that are pertinent to students growth, development, and practical maturation, particularly with the internships and jobs that they provide, such as being part of a student production team. This can be a tremendous learning experience that puts the students in real-life learning situations while having the luxury to work with a trusted professor that can instruct and assist them along the way. All this and more make Film and New Media Studies the unique major that it is.