The most common mistake I see in my major is when students do not get involved within their campus and beyond. This is such a mistake and a wasted opportunity. I would know: I was one of those students.
At the beginning of my college education, I couldn’t be bothered with getting involved with campus media. I didn’t want to form connections with my peers or professors. I just wanted to go to class, get my work done, and leave. This was easy to do at a community college. It was high school 2.0.
It wasn’t until I transferred to Fredonia that I realized how important it was to get involved. I watched a few of my peers accomplish so much in such a little time, and it made me think about my future. What did I have to show for myself?
How was I going to get a job as a writer if I didn’t have articles to show? How was I going to be a reporter if I didn’t have a reel to show? I wouldn’t. I would be a graduate with a piece of paper, and that would be it. A piece of paper and a college name will not get you far.
I was lucky. I had professors pushing me to get involved and encouraging me to build my resume.
Within a year, I had become a social media assistant for The Leader, a camera person and news writer for WNYF and completed four internships.
I pushed myself out of my comfort zone for a year. I forced myself to take any and every opportunity to benefit my future career.
My first internship was with The Buffalo Music Hall of Fame in the fall of 2018. Did I want to be a video editor? Did I want to be a cameraman? I wasn’t sure. All I knew at that time was that I was interested. I wanted to learn any skills that I could. Although I knew nothing about editing video and barely any knowledge of camera work, I walked away from that internship with beginner knowledge of video editing. I learned the basics of Adobe Premiere, which would benefit me a year later in a video-based course. This internship helped me get outside my comfort zone and pushed me to join campus media.
A few months later, I had been accepted to go to the Future Now Media and Entertainment conference in NYC to network among top executives and professionals within my field. It was terrifying; this was my first time networking. But, I walked away from this experience with knowledge, connections and increased confidence.
Later that summer, I took on two internships at the same time, in addition to my full-time job. Looking back on it, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It was stressful. But, it taught me how to push myself, be accountable and manage time.
The first summer internship I received from reaching out to the founder of the conference I had attended in NYC. With this internship, I learned how to create social media content as well as how to use Hootsuite. Did I want to be a content creator? Yes, in a sense — but I learned that I’d rather create content for myself than someone else.
In my second summer internship, I learned how to write food reviews and travel pieces. This was amazing, because I had previously wanted to be a travel journalist, but I let that dream die. This internship resparked a once-dead passion and allowed me to live out that dream for a few months. This past semester I had an internship with the Transfer Mentoring Program on campus. This internship taught me event planning skills along with mentor skills. It showed me first-hand how passionate someone can be about their job, a passion I hope someday to have.
For a year, I forced myself to be uncomfortable in the hopes that it would help my career. A year later, I’m extraordinarily grateful for those that have been my internship supervisors. Each one of them has made an impact on my life. I’ve had internship supervisors that provided me with constructive criticism and genuinely wanted to see me succeed. They would go out of their way to help me. I’ve had internship supervisors that are incredibly passionate about their work and field. This passion has inspired me. And I’ve had internship supervisors that have caused me to question this field and have left a bad taste in my mouth.
But, if I hadn’t gotten out of my comfort zone this past year, then I wouldn’t have gained the experiences that I have. I wouldn’t have the resume that I do, and I wouldn’t be able to show future employers what I can do. I encourage everyone to get out of their comfort zone, and try something that will benefit their career and future. All it takes is a little determination.