Crossroads Between College and Career
I just finished listening to the first episode of CareerTracks, DSG’s new podcast hosted by my fellow interns Jack Marinello and Gabby Milacki. If you haven’t heard of it, CareerTracks focuses on that crucial time when you are about to graduate and start your career journey. The show features interviews with industry professionals and explores the decisions they made at this important time in their lives and how those choices led them to where they are today. Jack and Gabby do a phenomenal job and I highly suggest you check it out.
Obviously, the topics touched on in CareerTracks hit close to home. It really got me thinking about how my time in college is coming to an end. I still can’t believe it’s been four years since I began college.
As I look back, if I could give one piece of advice to my Freshman self, it would be to never pass up any opportunity that interests you. For me, there are a few things I regret not fully taking advantage of. For example, I wish I joined a few more clubs during my time here. Fortunately, the one club I did join was the American Marketing Association. I’m glad I did as it was a contributing factor toward my choosing marketing as a career path.
Learning About Yourself By Trying New Things
I recommend to everyone to try as many things as possible while in school. This will help you identify your strengths, weaknesses, and interests before it’s time to enter the real world. A good way to do this is to see everything as an opportunity to learn something new.
In my case, I actually explored a few different majors before I found what suited me best; digital marketing. I considered computer science, but after taking a couple classes, I soon realized that although I liked technology, learning new coding languages wasn’t right for me. I discussed this with my advisor, who suggested I give the Media and Culture major a try. After taking a class or two in this field of study, it too did not seem like the right fit. I have a hands on, creative mind and wanted to be able to utilize that side a bit more. That’s when I came across marketing, specifically digital marketing. It allows me to both use my creativity and integrate my interest in technology. It may seem like I jumped around a bit, but It’s better to figure these things out while you’re still young and learning rather than get into the real world and realize you are not a match for the field that you went into.
I fully realized I chose the right major once I began working as an intern for DSG. I was interested in the classes I was taking in school, but I had yet to see if I would truly enjoy applying classroom knowledge and skills in a real work environment.
Interning at DSG has helped confirm my choice, I am truly enjoying everything I am doing. Being able to work on many different projects for a wide variety of clients keeps things very interesting. Pitching ideas to my managers has allowed me to thrive and show off my creative side. I can only imagine how much I will enjoy digital marketing as I progress within this field and work on ever larger projects and ideas in the future.
Future Goals and Aspirations
As my time at West Chester University wraps up, once again my thoughts turn to what comes next. Many who graduate college end up having a career in a different field than the one they studied. After my experience interning for DSG, I feel more confident and excited about my choices and path. Next step is to graduate and focus on taking the necessary steps to start my career in the digital marketing industry.