How can I get my son to focus?

Flyonthewall

pollypenny wrote: »

Don't you believe it!

The media, along with acting, is a very nepotistic area. Look at the names on both BBC and ITV: old familiar ones again and again.

New TV shows and films are being made all the time. He could start making his own! Look at Youtube. It's starting to take over TV. There are people who have created their own films and shows. Some people get millions of views and advertisers/companies are reaching out more and more to Youtubers in an attempt to be noticed/get advertising/make money.

While certain jobs may not come up often they will from time to time and as companies and technology grow and change there may well be new jobs.

Print journalism is similar. Who you know, not what.

Do well and they may come after you. I know someone who has a blog and managed to get some articles into a local paper and has since had a big paper come to them.

As with TV, things change and no person stays in one job forever.

There are many different newspapers and magazines out there too so more chance of a job coming up than if there were only one or two newspapers.

Could even start your own magazine, newspaper or book. Can either attempt to find a publisher or self-publish or just have it all digital.

Furthermore, the trend of unpaid internships over the lady decade has really put the kibosh on things for young people unless their parents can afford to support them even in their twenties.

Then they need to look at other options - they are out there!

There are numerous forms of media, many different jobs in media and various routes to getting them jobs or becoming self employed.

Media is growing and changing. Years ago if you wanted to work on a TV show you had to get a job with the BBC or ITV. Now there are many TV channels or you can create your own show and upload it online. You no longer have to get a job with the one or two major companies who are the only option to have a media job.

To return to my students: them ones who made it, in various media, are indeed the talented and committed ones.

The OPs son could well be talented and, once he has a goal to motivate him, be very committed.

If media is what he's interested in then he should go for that. He has as much chance as anyone else of getting his dream job.

missbiggles1

Flyonthewall wrote: »

What do you call "in the media"?

I know people who have done media courses. Some have done work on commission, others have media jobs.

Media is a massive industry, covering many jobs and many which are very realistic.

In a previous post I listed just a few of the options.

Anyone could start up a blog online. That is media.

Anyone can learn how to code a website. That is media.

Anyone who can draw could sell their graphics/art work in a range of ways. That is media.

Media is no longer getting on TV, working for a newspaper or getting on the radio.

Even gaming isn't as hard to get into now. You don't have to ty to get into a major (often US) company. We have apps and indie games.

A media job is far from unrealistic.

I disagree with your definition of "media" as well.

I also think that a pupil whose own mother says he's unfocused, immature and will have to work really hard to just to get grade Cs at GCSE would be well advised to be more realistic in his aims.

FBaby

My approach (and I might very well need to come to it when DS gets to that age) would be to help him in terms of setting up a pattern for studying and organising himself, whilst being a horrible nagging mum until he gets into the routine.

Mums seem to have a gift to feel guilty nagging. I know, I do to, but DS has already told me a number of times that whilst he doesn't like it at all when I do nag him, and he sure lets me know that he doesn't at that time, deep inside he knows that it is for the best and even deeper inside is grateful that I do! I have accepted that I shouldn't take his moaning and grumpiness as a gage to whether I should ease off the nagging!

Just one last point, whilst you become 'horrible mum of the year', make sure you 'force' him to do fun things with you, when he can chill out and realise even quicker that you are not that bad for a mum!

Flyonthewall

missbiggles1 wrote: »

I disagree with your definition of "media" as well.

I also think that a pupil whose own mother says he's unfocused, immature and will have to work really hard to just to get grade Cs at GCSE would be well advised to be more realistic in his aims.

Media covers many things. I did a media course - it covered games, websites, magazines/newspapers, graphics (2D and 3D), animations, videos, photos and possibly briefly mentioned radio (I'm sure we all agree that is media though anyway).

Media has grown. It's no longer just TV, radio and newspapers.

Which is why I said that OP should discuss possible options with him to help motivate him so he will be more focused and therefore making his aims more realistic - or easier to reach as he could still reach them even if he does bad in his GCSEs. Like I said before, he does still have options.

missbiggles1

Flyonthewall wrote: »

Media covers many things. I did a media course - it covered games, websites, magazines/newspapers, graphics (2D and 3D), animations, videos, photos and possibly briefly mentioned radio (I'm sure we all agree that is media though anyway).

Media has grown. It's no longer just TV, radio and newspapers.

Which is why I said that OP should discuss possible options with him to help motivate him so he will be more focused and therefore making his aims more realistic - or easier to reach as he could still reach them even if he does bad in his GCSEs. Like I said before, he does still have options.

Of course he has options but at the moment he isn't considering them.

What media course did you do and what career has that led you into?

ETA

For information, these are the employment destination figures for Media graduates.


Retail, catering and bar work (27.7%)
Arts, design and media (18.6%)
Marketing, PR and sales (12.9%)
Secretarial and numerical clerks (11.1%)
Other (29.7%)

Sina2

well the best way to do this is to talk to him in the way that he want.
ask him that if he is interested at anything.
And you can do some fun things like: tell him if you come and help me at this [ something that is good for him to learn in the feature] and than tell him if you help me with that I come to play with you to join together.
never speak loud to him and do not take his x box away because that's just make him to go for it more than before.
And I agree with what pinkshoes said.

Good luck my friend.

Flyonthewall

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Of course he has options but at the moment he isn't considering them.

What media course did you do and what career has that led you into?

He probably doesn't know them, hence the need for a proper discussion on it all.

I did a BTEC course. I've been doing volunteer work which includes designing, creating and writing newsletters and posters. Working towards going self-employed creating graphics and videos.

Flyonthewall

missbiggles1 wrote: »

For information, these are the employment destination figures for Media graduates.


Retail, catering and bar work (27.7%)
Arts, design and media (18.6%)
Marketing, PR and sales (12.9%)
Secretarial and numerical clerks (11.1%)
Other (29.7%)

How many aren't graduates, but have got into media? What are the stats for other graduates and their fields? How many media grads have later gone on to do media work after previously doing other work? How many media grads decided they no longer want a job in that field or for other reasons chose not to go into that field?

Them stats by themselves don't really mean that much.

BigAunty

Flyonthewall wrote: »

Competition for ALL jobs is high right now. Media is really no worse than any other.

.

I think a qualified plumber would disagree with you.

It is because it belongs to that field of vague glamorous and trendy positions, like Fashion and Art, where there are very few opportunities available at a living wage and a huge supply of people throwing themselves at the roles, even unpaid ones, which have a 'who you know' rather than skills/qualification element.

My friend had a research job in TV and used to laugh at the number of CVs pouring out of the fax machine (shows my age but just replace it with 'email inbox', relentless networking approaches made to her and showreels that turned up in the post on a daily basis for roles that were rare in number and hardly ever advertised. She was paid but these people were begging to have unpaid work experience.

She didn't even like her job - television production was full of coked up snobs (in her opinion) and she had to trawl pubs to make up the audience - basically herding drunks into the studio.

And as for drama as a career,don't get me started.

BigAunty

I can't remember the specific stats but I did read recently that there are thousands of journalism students graduating each year while a tiny number of NUJ members retired...