Programs that train students for careers in the Internet and entertainment trades are exploding at the state's community colleges, soaring from just a handful four years ago to 112 today.
Commonly called "new media" or "media arts" education, the programs also go by such labels as "multimedia," "entertainment technology," "digital media" and "electronic media." They vary from one-year vocational certificate programs to two-year degree programs that prepare students for transfer to universities.
Students trained in the new programs go to a wide variety of jobs, such as Web site design, Web animation, CD-ROM design, traditional animation and 3-D animation. They may also work on production involving new design software, or digital technology used in film and television.
Classes combining art, entertainment and the emerging computer fields are highly popular. Many faculty and business leaders also look favorably on the trend, saying demand for workers in these industries will continue to grow, despite the volatile marketplace.
But the rapid pace of growth is questioned by a few educators and industry insiders who speculate that eventually there will be a shakeout of media-education programs--much as the recent downturn in technology-related stocks has brought a shakeout of Internet companies.
Their ranks include Michael Eggert, director of Web production at Wirebreak Entertainment, who graduated two years ago from Santa Monica College's Academy of Entertainment Technology.
Eggert praises the education he got at Santa Monica College. But when asked about prospects for more recent graduates, he said: "To be quite honest, it's about over, as far as a hot trend goes."
A recent wave of layoffs and bankruptcies among Internet firms has meant many Internet media fields "have reached a saturation point," he said.
Yet to most of the educators involved in media arts, the creation of such programs is overdue, providing a pipeline of workers in what are likely to be among California's most important industries for years to come--despite recent hard times.
But because the colleges are hampered in their ability to track students, educators could offer only anecdotal information about their students' success in the job market, saying most still seem to do well.
"This is everywhere; there is huge demand," said San Mateo College Dean John Avakian, who directs a statewide effort to foster new media training. "I do think we can be caught up in the moment. But teaching digital media skills in a somewhat broad sense, that's a great service."
