Trabajo
So here's the deal. Just as I was getting ready to leave for New York City -- as in, I'd quit one job and given notice at the second -- I heard from a local college about a job I'd applied for so long ago that I'd forgotten I put in an application. Rightly or wrongly, I leapt on it, not wanting to leave Vermont with no real prospects beyond a couch to crash on.
This was my first week of work as a "senior media services technician." It was okay. I didn't do a whole lot of anything Monday or Tuesday. That was mostly sorting paperwork, getting my ID card and, as a side project, organizing all the snarled cables in the equipment closet. Tuesday afternoon was also a lot of software updating, as the editing station I was given hadn't been used in some time, and needed bringing up to speed, including a firmware update that was more easily described than put into practice.
Wednesday and Thursday settled in editing together some presentations that had been given on campus. It's been three years since I last used Final Cut Pro, but it all came back quickly enough. I also uncovered some handy shortcuts I hadn't previously known about.
I started really fooling around with DVD Studio Pro Friday morning, which I'd never touched before. I don't think they're expecting anything amazing out of the box just yet, as I'm using a premade template. There was also that delightfully frustrating business with the playback monitor I mentioned earlier.
Also! I had my first shoot yesterday, of two older folks talking about their experiences with the bombing of Hiroshima in World War II. I was pleased to find I remembered a lot more about how to use that particular model of camera, a Sony 3CCD job, that I might have.
All in all, it's more or less what I was doing in college three years ago. I had a part time job recording events, another one working in the edit suites, checking out equipment to students, and doing basic editing for class projects.
The feeling keeps sneaking up on me that this isn't actually progress, since I'm doing the same things I did in college. Except I think I have progressed, because I'm being paid better and have greater responsibilities. I'm even accruing vacation and sick time, which I've never had before in a job. The niggling thing is that the workload is 90% similar to my college work.
I don't want to stay there for the rest of my career, but it seems like a good place to be for a while as I finally start exploring production opportunities in the region, after wasting time the last three years. Last week I talked with a couple guys who run one such company; they were very encouraging. I just need to follow through with what we talked about.
The funny thing is I keep comparing this new job to Syracuse. Only![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
burndt_jamb is going to get half of this, but whatever. This new boss, nice guy he seems to be, isn't a patch on Neal or Biddle. That's probably not fair of me, but there you go.
And the vibe is so different at this college. They just check out equipment to any student who signs a form. Granted, it's not very fancy equipment, but it's a shock to me. At Syracuse, only students in the film or video programs could check out equipment, and then after completing an -- admittedly brief -- use certification. Same with the edit suites, which were rigorous in making sure people didn't abuse the system and everyone got their time on a machine.
In the end, it's all a question of size and population density. This college probably has fewer students than were in the Arts & Sciences college at Syracuse, so the number of people in the media and film programs is proportionally smaller.
But man, does this place have some swanky gear for a tiny college. All the editing machines are G5s with Final Cut Studio and nice DV decks. No Avid machines, unfortunately -- although I do fantasize about being there long enough to encourage the purchase of one and getting to get Avid certification on the college's dime.
As an added benefit, I even get free bus fare with my ID card. Since the nearest bus stop is a two minute walk away, riding the bus downtown to hike up the hill is super easy, and I get some good exercise without having to make a special excursion out of it.
This was my first week of work as a "senior media services technician." It was okay. I didn't do a whole lot of anything Monday or Tuesday. That was mostly sorting paperwork, getting my ID card and, as a side project, organizing all the snarled cables in the equipment closet. Tuesday afternoon was also a lot of software updating, as the editing station I was given hadn't been used in some time, and needed bringing up to speed, including a firmware update that was more easily described than put into practice.
Wednesday and Thursday settled in editing together some presentations that had been given on campus. It's been three years since I last used Final Cut Pro, but it all came back quickly enough. I also uncovered some handy shortcuts I hadn't previously known about.
I started really fooling around with DVD Studio Pro Friday morning, which I'd never touched before. I don't think they're expecting anything amazing out of the box just yet, as I'm using a premade template. There was also that delightfully frustrating business with the playback monitor I mentioned earlier.
Also! I had my first shoot yesterday, of two older folks talking about their experiences with the bombing of Hiroshima in World War II. I was pleased to find I remembered a lot more about how to use that particular model of camera, a Sony 3CCD job, that I might have.
All in all, it's more or less what I was doing in college three years ago. I had a part time job recording events, another one working in the edit suites, checking out equipment to students, and doing basic editing for class projects.
The feeling keeps sneaking up on me that this isn't actually progress, since I'm doing the same things I did in college. Except I think I have progressed, because I'm being paid better and have greater responsibilities. I'm even accruing vacation and sick time, which I've never had before in a job. The niggling thing is that the workload is 90% similar to my college work.
I don't want to stay there for the rest of my career, but it seems like a good place to be for a while as I finally start exploring production opportunities in the region, after wasting time the last three years. Last week I talked with a couple guys who run one such company; they were very encouraging. I just need to follow through with what we talked about.
The funny thing is I keep comparing this new job to Syracuse. Only
burndt_jamb is going to get half of this, but whatever. This new boss, nice guy he seems to be, isn't a patch on Neal or Biddle. That's probably not fair of me, but there you go.And the vibe is so different at this college. They just check out equipment to any student who signs a form. Granted, it's not very fancy equipment, but it's a shock to me. At Syracuse, only students in the film or video programs could check out equipment, and then after completing an -- admittedly brief -- use certification. Same with the edit suites, which were rigorous in making sure people didn't abuse the system and everyone got their time on a machine.
In the end, it's all a question of size and population density. This college probably has fewer students than were in the Arts & Sciences college at Syracuse, so the number of people in the media and film programs is proportionally smaller.
But man, does this place have some swanky gear for a tiny college. All the editing machines are G5s with Final Cut Studio and nice DV decks. No Avid machines, unfortunately -- although I do fantasize about being there long enough to encourage the purchase of one and getting to get Avid certification on the college's dime.
As an added benefit, I even get free bus fare with my ID card. Since the nearest bus stop is a two minute walk away, riding the bus downtown to hike up the hill is super easy, and I get some good exercise without having to make a special excursion out of it.