Student Experience at College of San Mateo
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Student Experience
Chris Phillips
Chris Phillips College of San Mateo, Public Broadcasting

For CSM alumnus and employee Chris Phillips, the college and specifically, the broadcasting program, became his home away from home. In search of a career direction, Chris found the campus to be a surprisingly comfortable place to learn and explore. He gravitated toward classes in electronics, computer science, and history, but ultimately it was the broadcasting program and its engaging faculty that captured and kept his interest.

Not only did Chris benefit from the instruction he received from faculty and broadcast industry professionals, but he found abundant campus resources that helped to guide him toward his career. He also found the diversity in faculty and the student body to be a source of good energy and new friendships that extended beyond school hours, many of which continue today. To sum up his experience at the college, Chris says, "Everything I needed was at CSM." As it turned out, CSM opened an important door that was to give direction to his life.

Upon earning his associate in arts degree in broadcasting, Chris promptly landed a job in his chosen career as a broadcast engineer for KCSM, the college’s public television and radio stations. Chris works primarily with the television station involved in a multitude of duties from researching and acquiring new equipment, training staff, serving as a technical director and even in station operations where he has handled cameras, lighting and audio. In addition to the technical aspects of his engineering position, Chris occasionally finds himself on the other end of the camera interviewing local personalities and members of the community for KCSM Moments, a short, community- based program that features local places and people of interest in and around the Bay Area.

Chris truly found his niche working in public broadcasting and firmly believes that CSM provided him with the tools to work in a career field that has become his passion. "Public broadcasting is a captivating industry; it is a robust environment to work in and is full of great people."