(July 27, 2015) Colin Bowles knew what he was looking for in his first job after college. He has found it in West Virginia. An STAA member, Bowles is joining NBC TV WVVA in Bluefield as a Sports Anchor/MMJ.
“I’ll be covering Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Marshall on the college level, along with a Dll school and a lot of high school sports as well,” Bowles says excitedly.
A 2015 graduate of the University of Indianapolis, Bowles did play-by-play on the campus radio station and was Sports Director on the campus TV station. He learned of the WVVA opportunity through STAA.
“I applied for an abundance of jobs and didn’t hear a peep so it was really easy to get down on myself and consider changing a careers. But I saw this listing and applied and it looks like the sports broadcasting gods were on my side for this one,” he smiles.
“WVVA is an awesome station and a NBC affiliate. It has a dominant personality about it and uses all the latest technology. That is unique for a small-market station.”
This is the second job offer Bowles has received in the past month. The other was in radio. He considered three primary factors when weighing his options.
“First thing I would say would be to make sure you will be doing something that you love and you can grow from, Bowles says. “There were plenty of jobs that I was qualified for but it was stuff that I did my freshmen year at UIndy. Yes, I would get an income but I would probably be bored within a couple months.
“The second thing is money. It sounds presumptuous but in today’s world with the cost of living and student debt, you have to make sure that you can live off your income. Even if it is macaroni for dinner in your studio apartment, you have to have the right income.
“The third thing would be the location. We all know that the first job will not be in Boston, or New York but in a place like Bluefield, WV. With that, you have to make sure you really can be happy in a town of that size and with all it has to offer.
“I really feel like this would be a wonderful place to work and to grow.”
(Visit Colins’s website).