How Do We Keep Up?

In a world that is constantly changing, how do we keep up?  Especially in a field such as digital media, how do you make sure that you don’t become obsolete within 10 years of leaving college? This is probably one of my biggest fears, so I’m going to give a few tips on how to stay up to date.

1. Always Be Searching

When you’re in college it is extremely easy to learn about new things happening because you have someone to teach it to you everyday, but once you’re on your on, how do you make sure to know what is always going on? It is so important to follow blogs, social media, magazines, and anything else in your field to make sure you always know what new things are happening around you. One of my favorite websites is nofilmschool.com. They do a great job of always having articles showing new camera gear, advances in cinema, and new techniques that help me to be able to stay relevant in my chosen medium.

2. Don’t Get Stuck

Once you get out of college it will be so easy to just take the first job that is offered to you. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, make sure you aren’t stuck doing something that leads to a dead end. If you do something so focused, you limit yourself to only that one thing, and that lowers your chances for growth and continued improvement, not to mention a promotion.

3. Always Be Improving

It is so easy to get really good at one thing and block out everything else that you don’t like as much, but this could be a trap. While you should always do what you enjoy first, making sure you stay up on your smaller skills can make you an incredible asset to any company that can’t be looked over.

As you continue on your paths in digital media I hope that these three points will help you to always be at the top of your game and that no one will ever look you over. The best part of anything you do is to always strive to be the best at it. This takes dedication, hard work, and a will to always keep improving.