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Your column is a gold mine for anyone searching for a job in the field. Thank you.

I am moving to an area with a very tight job market. "Dismal" and "hopeless" are two words I hear frequently about that area.

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I likely won't have a job once I get there, and I am considering going back to school to get a master's in digital media. But I am skeptical. Why should I spent 18 months and $4,000+ on a master's degree? First off, I might miss a job opportunity in the 18 months I am in the program, and second, I could buy all the equipment I need -- computer, video camera, various audio equipment -- for the $4,000 and have money left over. And if I don't have a job I will definitely have the time to produce clips.

My current newsroom is not supportive in me helping to produce online digital media. They want reporters to flat out report and not produce slideshows or videos. We are to collect audio at best. They already know I am leaving, so that might be why I am not allowed (word to the wise, give two weeks' notice and nothing more).

Is the master's degree worth it? Do newsrooms (even small ones) see this as a plus? Also, where would be a good place to learn about this stuff on my own? Or should I look elsewhere for individual classes and not spend so much money? I am a tech nerd at heart, and I feel I could pick it up quickly and produce quality media presentations.

Thank you,

Kate

You may have answered your own question.

As I read it, you come across as a person who is very comfortable learning on her own. I don't think you feel you need a master's program to teach you online skills. Just give you the equipment and let you go.

Joe Grimm

So, go.

But I would look for some sort of formal training to help move you along quickly.

I am writing this on a MacBook Pro I bought in December. One of the best things I got to go along with it is the ProCare program which, for $99, lets me into the Apple store for one-on-one training sessions every two weeks or so. I

So, go, but go with some guides and you'll get places faster.

(For others who would prefer to learn Web skills in a graduate program, check out the new-media master's at the University of California-Berkeley; Medill's new-media program; the new-media workshop at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism; the master's degree in convergence journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia; and the master's in digital media at the University of Washington. There are others, of course, and more programs are converting all the time. If you would like to add a shoutout for a program, please respond to this post.)

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Coming Tuesday: This 60-year-old has the passion to play in the new-media playground, but wonders if some people will think she is nuts for trying.

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