I'm Back! And I'm Another Year Older...

Another year wiser...hopefully. Yesterday was my birthday. So in all of my birthday spirit, I am reminiscing. There were some major milestones and goals that I accomplished this past year. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, I started along the path of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"... Or in other words the "American Dream." In case you didn't know, I LOVE making lists. And this post is much of the same, a list of what this last year has brought me, and what I hope to do in the coming 12 months.

Life: I started a new chapter in my life this year with some key milestones. First, I graduated from college and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Communication. (Yippie!) I was offered, and took, my first job in the Communication industry. (Whoop!) Second, I found love. Real love for the first time in my life. (aww...) Phil and I have been together for eleven months. For both of us, it is our first real relationship. There are major learning curves, but I finally know what it feels like to have someone love my strengths and my weaknesses. I know what it feels like to put someone else above my independence. It's not hard, but I'm working at it... And last but not least, as of last week I got my first place. (FREEDOM!) I will be renting an apartment with two of my best friends from college, Michelle and Emma! It's in a great location and it is some place that I can call my own. It feels good to know that I will be starting my own life...Leading me to liberty.

Liberty: This past year, I have taken control of many aspects of my life. I found my own job that I would not have been offered if I didn't pursue an internship with them the year before. I have found my own way to get to this job, which is located 50 miles from my house right now. I took over payments for my cellphone, car insurance, credit card, and student loans. And I have found my own place to live, like I said before. But, at the risk of sounding cliché at using this quote to describe my humble situation, "with freedom comes responsibly" (I can't help myself...I'm a sucker for Eleanor). And this concept scares me to no end. I'm a planner and this is something I can't plan. I am going to have to relax, let go, and carry on. Above all, I have to be positive about what lies ahead, knowing that this is going to make me happy...

Pursuit of Happiness: All of these decisions, milestones, and goals all mean nothing if I'm not happy. I have never been a money hog; it is not what drives my decisions. It is an important part of my life, but it is not the only part of my life. I am not driven by popularity. I have opinions and as many of my closest friends and family know, I am not afraid to share them respectfully, whether or not this is the majority's opinion. I am driven by a need to do what I think is right. I want to make myself happy, but I also feel that it is important to not make others miserable. I feel that I was put here to help others and make a difference, which is why I am working at a local non-profit raising money to fund local programming providing life saving breast cancer screenings, education services, and follow-up care. I am moving to a Boston neighborhood to satisfy my love affair with the old historic city.

My beautiful cupcake from Crumbs Bakery
 

So I will keep you updated on my life...I'm sure I will have many ups and downs which I will love writing about. Stay tuned, adapting is soon to come!

So You Think You Can Write? Prove It...

The current news about the American economy is not exactly what one would call uplifting.  In fact it is usually downright pathetic.  No one denies that; especially the newest graduating college classes.  As a communication student, I feel that I am no different.  Looking into the future, friends and family want to know the number one concern regarding my entry into the job market.  To every person I answer—how to separate myself in an applicant pool of hundreds of other new-grads and qualified unemployed individuals who have work experience.  

My past internship at Komen MA, I asked my supervisor, the Director of Marketing Communications, this question.  I was expecting an answer involving versatility, knowledge about emerging technologies, or personal and professional charisma; her answer surprised me.  “Go back to the basics.  No one can ignore a really good writer.”  For the next few months this is what I did:  wrote emails, crafted social media posts, composed formal letters to public officials, created posters that included key Komen messaging, developed a script for their biggest fundraiser of the year, generated participant surveys, etc.  Needless to say, my writing skills have developed.  
Do I think this is the only skill that you need to get a job in today’s economy?  By all means, that is not what I was inferring.  Being able to effectively verbalize messages, inhabiting a personality and a professional attitude, and versatility are all important skills to companies who are hiring.  However, a really good, well-developed set of writing skills can almost guarantee a position somewhere in some industry.


This being said, Endicott should really include classes that are strictly writing-designated within the marketing communication concentration.  This way most of the students in the class can practice tailoring messages to different audiences.  I think a speech class should also be included in the curriculum; hopefully this will ensure comfort when speaking to a group of people or an individual.  Another major part of any current job in marketing communication is knowledge of the current social media; a class on this should also be required of students.  


Yet, in the end, nothing can take away the importance of real world, actual work experience.  This is where I learned a majority of my current communications skills; nothing can take the place of this learning environment.

This was written for a college class I took last year... It truly does encompass what I believe in this industry in this day in age... I had to start with this!