career panel

One on one counseling

I met with Kelly Fewster today to see if the skill of publishing or digital publishing will assist me in the journalism field going forward. I think especially with the digital publishing attribute, it could really assist me in uploading my own work onto websites and helping others with uploading their content. They could assist in editing work for their company and giving advice on articles and even helping with the photos that are being used for the article.

I was provided with a paper that shows what my major can do for me in my career. When it comes to digital publishing, some valued skills that employers look at if you are decent at publishing are: digital technology, reading and interpreting text and critical thinking and problem solving. I also think a knowledge of digital publishing will help me understand a variety of media platforms so that I can be useful when using any platform for my job.

Career Panel: I should get into t-shirts

I personally found the career panel to be informative. I will note at this point that much of what they stated was advice I have been receiving my entire life, but its good advice none the less. Almost all of them made the point that connections, and some kind of part time work, where invaluable to starting a small business. The first is a obvious, in that having a large group of associates means you also have a large pool of references and potential customers. The second, and in my opinion most pertinent, was that now is the perfect time for us to be making money. Having a part time job while our loans aren’t acquiring interest means we have some kind of fund to get us started once we get out of college. Additonally, get prepared for denials as it seems that each of the panelist had to endure a lot of no’s before their business got a yes.

As someone who is interested in writing their own books, as wells as working in publishing, there were some points that I felt resonated. Especially the point that you are going to hear a lot of no’s (The gentlemen with the Pizza business seemed to be the most vocal on this point). I know, and this panel reinforced, that just because I think my idea is great, doesn’t mean that others necessarily believe the same. I need to prepare myself now, and accept that things rarely go well on the first attempt. But, I also need to be persistent in adapting until that no becomes a yes.

The entrepreneurship panel I attended on Wednesday, February 13, was an informative session of wonderful advice from six entrepreneurs. Although the industries varied from person to person, the advice was nearly identical across the board. The biggest key to success, as many college students have heard, is networking. Regardless of a person’s field, rank, or experience, you never know when someone will be able to help you in the future, whether it’s something they can do or someone they know. Another piece of wisdom was to shoot your shot because you never know what will happen. I specifically recall Andy Brown, Founder and CEO of Eat Pizza, saying how he found a company’s CEO on LinkedIn, figured out the companies email setup, and tried multiple emails until he got one through. He met with the CEO the next week. It’s important to not fear rejection because it could keep you from your big break.

These bits of information are really important to remember, particularly in a creative field. My field of study is English, but my goal is to be a writer, a creative writer with published stories for others to enjoy. After hearing the entrepreneurs speak, I realize that creative writing is being an entrepreneur–I have to sell my own work to as many customers as possible and find someone to help me produce and sell that product. Networking to know people who can publish my writing is a big part of it. Knowing someone can be the key difference between acceptance and rejection. It’s also important that when I do have a work, I send it to as many people and places as I can because I never know who might find it worthwhile.