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Jeffrey Gothard

Jeffrey Gothard

Santa Ana Unified School District

Career Roadmap

Jeffrey's work combines: Television, Education, and Communicating / Sharing Stories

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Day In The Life

Media Design Production Specialist

I create video and multimedia for a large urban school district and operate their cable TV channel.

Skills & Education

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

    Hollywood

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia

    California State University-Fullerton

  • Graduate Degree

    Elementary Education and Teaching

    California State University-Fullerton

Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Librarians & Media Collections Specialists:

High School

Bachelor's Degree: Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia

Graduate Degree: Elementary Education and Teaching

Learn more about different paths to this career

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life took a while to figure out

  • 1.

    First I loved photography and making movies even as a kid. Read everything about photography/film.

  • 2.

    Built a movie theatre in my garage (age 11), started a magazine about what we were showing there.

  • 3.

    Joined a Media Task Force workshop in NYC, learning from pros about film and photography.

  • 4.

    Moved to Hollywood as a teen, went to Hollywood High School, learned more from film classes and life.

  • 5.

    Started an independent magazine called Young People's Informer, wrote a lot and took photos.

  • 6.

    Graduated high school and went to community college for Journalism and Business.

  • 7.

    Went to Cal State Fullerton for TV film degree and teaching credential.

  • 8.

    Worked in school as an internship, got hired, then became manager of the district TV channel.

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from Teachers:

    You are a poor kid with limited resources...good luck becoming a media specialist. Where will you get the money to do a creative career? The competition is fierce. (Half of this noise was in my own head, and no one even said anything)

  • How I responded:

    Every time I reached out to a teacher and showed them that I was interested in their help...they would go out of their way to help me, or provide me with tangible tools that helped me move forward or learn more about what it would take to achieve my dreams. That really helped me quiet the noise, because I had HOPE.

Experiences and challenges that shaped me

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  • Went to community college before university. Got jobs to help pay for school. Don't be in a rush, you can do more than you think! Your friends and family will help. Teachers will help. Look for scholarships that fit what you do. Crowd source!