"The biggest challenge in media careers is keeping good health and maintaining deadline."
"It is almost impossible to get a journalistic job in the USA now as a visitor or a short term visa holder"
"Make a difference, a memorable difference, rather than control, because in today's world control is of hours and days and not lifetime."
In an online chat with readers on April 28, 2015, Prof Ujjwal Chowdhary from Edutainment offered tips on pursuing a career in media, design and communication.
For those who missed the chat, here's the transcript:
Sach: Tell me, why is the media here so negative?
Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognise our own strengths, our achievements?
We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Things are changing now. We are telling our stories and boldly.
rahul rathor: Could you please tell me what is the key for good communication?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: A great interest in human life and culture. A great command over written, spoken and visual language.
Anirvan: What is are the job opportunities in India after pursuing a masters degree in media governance?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Media Governance Masters are not there. Media Management Masters are there which leads to managerial or business side jobs in the media.
Zoran Saher: Is there a need to join any consultancy after getting a pass out from college?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Upto you. Educational training may be good for the best colleges entry. However, you can pursue an entry process yourself, and most do that way only.
Aprosh Aarsiwala: How much financial one should sound if he wants to make career in advertising and fashion industry?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Course fees and some basic equipment. NID, Pearl, MICA, SIMC, Whistling Woods, Amity --these are the major institutes. Course fees vary from 1 lakh a year to 6 lakhs. Good SLR Camera, high end laptop and smart phone must.
Sach: Thanks Professor. I look forward to my media career. I believe who can control the media, can control the mind and heart of universe :)
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Make a difference, a memorable difference, rather than control, because in today's world control is of hours and days and not lifetime.
Ashish Gupta: I want to persue my career in advertising. What are the best fields in MBA mass communication, apart from journalism?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: MICA has PGDM in Advertising, in Ahmedabad. SIMC Symbiosis has it in Pune, Masters. Amity Univ has Masters in Media in Mumbai.
Gajanan Bose: Sir, most of the companies hire experienced candidates in animation production house, what should beginners seek?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: When one gets experienced, s/he will go for that. Natural. You will do the same in future.
So, start with making animation films for competitions and winning one or two awards which will make companies take note of you.
Further, you can start by working with a small company with one or two projects.
Simon Xavier: Does any media course offers in regional language and can anyone pursue a career in it and mark himself internationally?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: There are many universities in India with regional language journalism and media courses and selected best students from there have made a mark.
Internationally it is a different thing: you need to be multi lingual.
Sach: Professor, could you pls tell me some good digital marketing one/two year media courses in Australia?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: No information on Australian specific courses. Deakins and Griffiths Universities have good media departments I know. They will have digital media courses also.
Vinu Murthy: Sir, I want to pursue a career in sports media, which are the different categories involved?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: The Indian Institute of Sports Management in Mumbai is the best.
Sach: I think that would just generalize the whole thing, I am looking for the specialization. M-commerce is the next big thing. It does need specialization. Just a thought.
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Yes, you are right. There can be small workshops on m-commerce, but no degree course yet to my knowledge.
adil: Sir I am from South India, I want to make a career in journalism. Which is the best institute of journalism in south India?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: The Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media Bengaluru OR Asian College of Journalism Chenna OR Manipal Institute of Communication Manipal are some options you can look at.
ulfat : I am a graduate. I want to do mass communication in Mumbai. From where do I start , please advice
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Try Amity University Mumbai (three Masters courses in Media: Journalism, Advertising and PR, TV and Films). You can do it from Mumbai University or Whistling Woods International also.
Nitya Shetty: Can I still pursue a career in media/design without having an art background in college?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Surely, if you are passionate about it. School/college background is not so relevant.
Depends on what you want to learn. For design, you will have to do undergraduate course. For media, you can do directly a PG course.
Jeswal: I want to pursue a course in mass communication from UK at a PG level, if you guide me it would be a great help, thanks.
Ujjwal Chowdhary: The Westminster Univ, Leeds Metropolitan Univ and Sheffield Hallam Univ are good.
Sach: Is there any specific course that specializes in m-commerce advertising and publicity?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Not to my knowledge. You should go into Digital Marketing courses only which will have m-commerce integrated.
Arvind Irani: I'm interested in movie making and script writing but I completed my engineering degree. Which one should I pursue?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Go into a full time film and television course with scripting as a component of it. Then specialise in any area you want. Jamia Millia Delhi; Whistling Woods Mumbai; Annapurna Film School Hyderabad are some options.
Nirupama Trivedi: Which are the top colleges for pursuing a career in mass media in Mumbai at the undergraduate level?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Amity University Mumbai, Whistling Woods Mumbai, Deviprasad Goenka Media College Mumbai.
Sandeep Rajapure: I understand the company has a formal recognition program; however, what type of recognition have you recently given to one of your staff?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: How is this relevant here? We give increments, special responsibilities, higher designations and recognize their good work publicly as incentives to better performing team members.
Saksham Containers Pvt. Ltd: How to be a smart in marketing communication?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: You'll require a professional qualification in advertising, PR and marketing at least one degree; regular study of branding and advertising; some good portals and newspaper supplements are there.
You will need to be associated as intern or employee with a media organization in branding related activity -- attending brand and creativity meets.
Mahima Das: What has been the biggest challenge of media career so far? And how did you overcome it?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Biggest challenge in media careers in general is keeping good health and maintaining deadline. Regular food, rest and disciplined are must which many media people ignore.
Nitin Joshi: What attracted you to the digital marketing industry?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Digital marketing is faster, accessible, reaching anyone who is online, cheaper, easily trackable and quantifiable. This is less cumbersome, reduces physical movement but ensure reach.
manikgupta020@rediffmail.com: What qualities do newspaper editors look for?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Power of observation. Good general knowledge. One area knowledge strong (business, politics, development, health, entertainment, sports, etc).
Very good command over spoken and written language (depending upon which language paper it is). Footloose. Computer and Photography savvy. And ideally with published work. Ideally a blogger.
neetasinha: Women in the entertainment industry (film and television) have become more and more the movers and shakers of production but lack power position in print industry struggling in general.
Ujjwal Chowdhary: To a large extent true. But there are good senior lady editors too.
TV is of showbiz and also the need for glamour is strong there.
Visual medium is by nature pro women, and there is nothing wrong.
Print needs long hours a day, long years in career to make a strong impact.
Indian families need women for many roles as wife and mother too which inhibit long hours and long years. Exceptions there are.
shinde: Sir, I want to do PG IN Mass media & Journalisn in Mumbai, Is this course usefull after BMM?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Which course you are talking about? You can do PG in Journalism very well from either Mumbai University itself or in newly established Amity University in Mumbai.
haresh: Sir, I want to do my post graduation in mass media, i wanted to know whether I have an option of paying the course fees on EMI basis?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: There are some colleges who have in instalments. But monthly EMI no college has. At least you must be able to pay per semester.
Rafiq Qureshi: One of the biggest pet peeves I have heard that editors and hiring managers complain about, when it comes to interviewing, is talking to candidates who don't know their company or their publication.
This doesn't mean that if you're interviewing at an imprint of Random House you need to know the history of the publisher.
Ujjwal Chowdhary: That is right. But one should know the CURRENT work, focus areas, major brands, major achievements, etc of the employing organisation, and which profile s/he is coming for, and how his/her background and skills match that profile. This must is essential.
Vinay Shukla: After pursuing a career in digital marketing, where do I see myself in the short term and long term?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Digital marketing and communication consultancy: working for an organization or starting your own consulting if you have a few clients to start with, at least two.
Amit Srivastav: Describe an example of when we have to set a strict deadline and how we ensured that it was met.
Ujjwal ChowdharY: Writing a report on an event within two hours of the event. Or organizing an event within a given budget and limited timeline.
umar khan: The chances for jobs are greater if I move to New York or Boston, where so much of the editorial positions are located, but competition in landing a job is immense?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: If you are NOT in USA now, it is tough, almost impossible to get a journalistic job in the USA now as a visitor or a short term visa holder.
Rajan sha: With a few years in the field, can a communications manager become equipped to launch his own company?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Surely. If he is having a network of clients who need his communication services, like PR, advertising, brand consulting, event management, films, digital communication, he can start his own company with very limited investment.
Key is to have a network of clients and be acceptable to them at their prices.
Satish Pulli: What does it take to become aware of media literacy?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Media literacy can be done through short media courses online or offline/ face to face.
It can be done through workshops organized by institutes. Self study of books on basics of media can also be done. Basically how can you better appreciate a film, a work of creativity, or write a report etc.
Amol chille: Mass Media and Mass Communication are often exchanged for each other but actually in context mean does it mean entirely different things?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Media is about platforms -- print/offline, cyber/online, events/on ground, TV and Radio/On air.
Mass Media is about media platforms that reach a large number of people.
Communication is about functions: to inform, to educate, to entertain, to infotain, to engage, to interact.
When done to a very large number of people at the same time, it is Mass Communication. Better to use Media & Communication.
ePoint Technologies: My daughter is doing a B. Sc Mutimedia course under Annamalai University. Is this coures relevant to this discussion? S.V.Quilon
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Surely. She can go for internship in a production or special effects organization. Or she can go for Masters after this degree. Working for a year in between two degrees is a good idea.
yasmin: What are the career prospects in Electronic media?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Working in a TV channel (starting in any city), working freelance on documentaries and corporate films, or making ad films with a company or freelance.
Better to work with a production house or channel in first three to four years of career.
rittika negi: What is the minimum eligibility for Bachelor degree in journalism?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Class XII pass, ideally with 50 per cent marks in total, and clearing admission test of the institute you want to be in.
kavita bavekar: What is the duration of the course for media and communication?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Masters degree of two years, bachelors of three years. There are many shorter diplomas. I am not suggesting them much. Better to go for degrees for higher education in future.
adil: Sir, I have appeared for my Bcom this year, I want to pursue a carerer in media in journalism, But I don’t know where to start, please advice
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Very much possible. You can take up business or any other specialization in journalism. Or you can come into advertising and PR depending on your interest.
Take a formal Masters degree course of an institute.
appa: Sir, I have completed my graduation in IT and i have 3 years of work experience. And now I am interested to do Post Graduation in Media and Enetertiament. Is there any scope for me in this?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: Very much. You can be in Film and TV which uses a lot of IT Enabled skills.
You can be in gaming, animation and graphics which is totally IT dependent. However, genuine interest and creativity are must.
dinesh: Which has a better career scope Mass media, fashion studies or photography ?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: All the three are related. Mass Media is the overall area of which the other two are components.
If you are graduating, do a general Media Studies or Media and Communication course. And specialisation can be at PG level or through internship. Then broader scope and knowledge will be there at the base.
max: Mr Ujjwal, I am planning to join photography diploma course in FAD International that is situated in Pune in Fashion Photography. What are the prospects and future of this career ?
Ujjwal Chowdhary: It is a good institute. You can go there.
Bharatiya Vidyapeeth and Symbiosis Institute of Photography are also good courses and give degrees and not diplomas.
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
