As a college student, it's difficult to find time to do things that aren't school related. Between a Monday through Friday class schedule, work in between, and a girlfriend, running a video game blog/site/whatever has been tiresome to say the least. Finding time to even play video games has been difficult enough, let alone finding time to write a decent review, record video footage and commentary, and participate and record in a podcast. I have been curious to how others have gotten their start in this industry. How did they find the time to do what "needed" to be done to get their foot in the door? Did you graduate college and immediately apply for an internship, or did you build a portfolio to better your chances against other internship applicants?

I think the most difficult part of doing this is, doing it on your own with no industry connections. I don't have the money to purchase every game, nor do I have any way of getting copies of games and products that are yet to be released. By the time I get my hands on some titles the small window of opportunity to record footage that viewers actually care about is gone. One person can't play and review every game, record and edit video content, and record and edit a podcast. This is one of the many reasons why I admire the Whiskey Media sites. Unlike other content providers, they do not have a huge staff in each department, but they manage to sift through all the available content and provide media that each staff member is interested in covering. For this, the articles, reviews, video content, and podcasts are all reliable, streamlined, and evocative. Add the bonus of the sites personal user contributed wiki system and you have the future. This is why I believe sites like the ones provided by Whiskey Media are the future. Our community is part of something bigger than just video games, movies, technology, comics, and anime, we are part of an x factor that will eventually force other sites to convert. We are part of an evolution of the internet, an interconnection between site operators and site visitors.

As a prospective journalist, I wish it were possible to both do what all these sites are doing, and continue my education. So my real questions are to those out there that are aspiring to enter into this industry. What are you doing to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack? How do you find time to convert your writing from a hobby to a career? Do you have friends that help you, or are you lone wolfing it?

http://www.4hgames.wordpress.com