The Gameplan

If you check out the Writing section of the blog you already know I do a substantial amount of work for my school newspaper, The Crimson White. 

Most who read this do not know me personally, but if you did you'd know I THRIVE on ranting. Many MANY people say or believe things which  leave me with a pounding headache and an overwhelming case of "WTF R U SERIOUS! GTFO!"

(Type in the acronyms in a search engine if you do not know what they mean).

It's only appropriate such an appreciate for the art of despising ridiculous notions would lead me to be a writer for the opinions article, especially considering the majority of writers on the current staff have very similar opinions on a majority of subjects.

A week ago I wrote an article on the idea whether or not a degree guarantees you anything in the real world (FYI - it does not). I used my work at Alabama as an example to prove a specific point, but some of the comments below my article took a more personal tone asking me about my career path.

Or this one...

These comments made me realize I've never really tried to explain why I've taken the track I'm on. I don't mean why I'm majoring in Film Production, but why I've gone about it the way I have. Before I go any further check out the article or just read it below:

This is the question simplified. How did I even end up triple minoring in the first place? Am I not defeating the purpose of gaining a specified education. It would seem I'm becoming a jack of all trades rather than a master of a specified art. 

It would have been impossible to go more in-depth in the small amount of space the newspaper provided me, but I'm able to do so on here. 

This is my philosophy on the college experience-

"Graduate with experience, not credits." 

What does that mean? Basically, I see far too many individuals leave school with a degree, yet still have a basic or vague understanding of their craft. Worse, they are unsure of their own aspirations. 

Right now, I'm technically a Film Production Major with minors in French, Liberal Arts, & Telecommunications and Film. 

Disregard the French and Liberal Arts minors. Those were necessary play-calls to pad grades and find a comfortable habitat during my years in school. 

I've been taking French since high school. I love the language and culture and I'm hoping to live there at some point, so it's a personal goal. Plus, it was a good call considering I used it incessantly during my internship in France. Hindsight is 20/20 though. I would've never guessed my time in the foreign language would prove beneficial during my undergraduate years. 

The Liberal Arts minor stemmed from a program I participated in known as Blount Undergraduate Initiative. Some say a Liberal Arts degree is useless, but participating in the program has landed me a permanent job as a Residential Advisor on campus, grants ensuring I had enough money to go to France, contribution to help finance projects I've worked on, and tapping me into one of the best support systems a student can hope to have during his undergrad. 

Still, this isn't the most important piece to understanding the state of my game-plan. As stated before, I believe in getting experience first, credit later when it comes to classes. I've done well academically no matter the class, but I adamantly believe a class is only worth the real-world experience it garners. 

My concentration in film stems from an interdisciplinary route devised through the UA department known as New College. I began my studies working through classes I considered beneficial to understanding the extent of my concentration. This therein led me to the TCF (Telecommunications and Film) department. Unfortunately, after taking their entry level class (which was completely irrelevant and unnecessary) I knew I needed the technical skills within the TCF department, but I did not want to waste my time or money on classes with little gain except a few more credits towards graduation. 

Two semesters later I would end up meeting with Dr. Raimist, whom I've spoken of before. She allowed me to skip most entry level classes and register for courses she considered beneficial. She did give me one condition. I would have to declare a minor in TCF. This would allow me to register for classes without a need for overrides and give legitimacy to my concentration. 

I dived in without hesitation. 

Thankfully, my choice has not led me astray. It has also allowed me to produce some of my best work   including Bottom of a Glass and I Dont' Got. 

Honestly, this is the short version of how I came to be a Film Production major with three minors, but the entire story is something I'd like to share another time. 

My main point in detailing my evolution in course study is to highlight my belief experience trumps everything. If you don't need a class to learn something then don't, but if you are going to take classes do whatever is possible to ensure the ones you are taking prove beneficial in the long run. 

So far, I believe I've done so.