It’s been 3 years since I donned the traditional college graduate cap and gown. At that time, it felt like the learning was over and my career could begin. Cue the music! What I learned was that my education was just beginning and, with more education, my career would take care of itself.
INTERESTED IN AN INTERNSHIP? First you have to read to the bottom of Kara’s blog!
I graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with an English degree. Yes, an English degree! Many people in other fields don’t appreciate a liberal arts education, but I’ve made it work for me. I’ve used what I studied every step of the way since graduation, and never once have regretted choosing that path. I definitely didn’t take the direct route to where I am now but, let’s be honest, how many career paths are straight-as-an-arrow anyway?
The best part of the adventure: I’ve learned quite a bit along the way that is already helping shape my future. Here are my 4 most important after-grad lessons, some that came directly through Rocket Man Digital:
1) No Matter What They Say, You Have Time
Don’t worry if you have to take some time to figure things out. After college I spent 6 months working in a restaurant before being ready to take some risks. I picked up and moved to Thailand to teach English. Two years of that amazing experience and I came home smarter and much more fulfilled. That said, I didn’t have a “real” job lined up. By real job I mean stepping stone for a career—what everyone assumes should start immediately after graduating.
But guess what? Life experience carried just as much weight as any position on my resume.
- It was an immediate conversation opener as I networked for that next big opportunity
- It proved that I could take risks and valued more than dollars and sense
- No job could teach you such adaptibility and communication like living in a non-English speaking country
With my degree and experience, Rocket Man Digital was ready to take a chance that I could learn quickly, have the guts to take a risk and stick with it. They needed help expanding their inbound marketing and I had enough time to take on a sizable load of the blog calendar. And so began an internship (that’s right, a college grad with an internship!) with Rocket Man Digital.
They promised me some pay but, more importantly, opportunities to:
- Understand today’s digital marketing practices
- Build a portfolio of blog links for a solid writing foundation
- Research, share ideas and push the boundaries on my own
- Weekly check ins and feedback, rain or shine
It turns out that taking the time to figure out what it is you want might help you in the long run. I was inspired at Rocket Man Digital. Soaking up the new education and growing in my confidence each week. They relied on my skills and, as traffic has grown, I’ve noticed there are many people who were beginning to rely on my content, too. Career path successfully begun!
2) Understanding an Audience
In school, we learn how to write papers. For a grade. Little time is spend actually writing for an audience. But blogging– that’s a world of immediate results. You know exactly where you stand by watching the metrics. Every week, every day, and yes, sometimes every hour!
- Was my work useful?
- Are people engaging with what I spent so much time on?
- Am I adding value that helps solve business and content challenges?
- Are they delighted? Asking for more content through “calls to action?”
Although what they teach in college is definitely valuable, I’d say my blogging for Rocket Man Digital taught me about writing for digital platforms, and focusing on a need. No two platforms are the same, yet your content can travel so much more freely. Right to where people are looking for it! What have I learned?
- Each channel benefits from a different tone and style. Don’t treat every platform the same if you want results.
- Keep it simple and interesting. Online readers will skim if they aren’t entertained.
- Content is the most important, and writing for your audience is the key to every piece.
3) Be Open to Taking Different Paths
After graduating, the only thing that was abundantly clear was sometimes it is excruciatingly difficult to figure out which path to take. But without that college education, the opportunities definitely would be limited. The best part of earning that diploma is that most translate well to many different fields. Just be willing to look to the horizon.
Early on, I was focused on editorial work. Book publishing to be specific. It wasn’t until Rocket Man Digital asked me if I was open to writing for digital platforms that I even considered it. Reluctantly at first, I said, “Yes!” Now, I found a whole new world to use my skills. They translate perfectly into content marketing, content strategy and brand building. That was something I wouldn’t have even thought of while in school. I now know all about:
- Inbound marketing practices, such as buyer personas
- Social media strategy and skills
- Analytics, metrics, tracking and KPIs to deliver against business goals
Better yet, I’ve had a chance to share my knowledge! It’s important to keep an open mind, look everywhere and be willing to try new things. You may find that interesting twist that begins a whole new adventure along a career path.
4) When It Comes to Learning, You’ve Only Started
College doesn’t teach you everything. Nor is it possible, right? Don’t be nervous or afraid of all of the new information you encounter. Embrace it. Soak it in. Build on it. There is always something new to learn, so don’t ever close your mind to it. With this experience, I doubled my skill set and opened doors to so many more opportunities. I can confidently write about topics I didn’t know existed (inbound marketing, for example). All of the tools Rocket Man Digital has given me will help me with the next step in my career.
By the time I hit the publish button on this blog, I will be onto a new adventure as part of the Summer Publishing Institute at New York University. Rocket Man Digital has shown me there are so many more sides to the publishing industry. Now I get a chance to investigate even more.
Before Rocket Man threw their support behind my next adventure, they had one critical question. Was digital the cornerstone of this publishing program? I’m happy to say, yes! After all, that’s the road I’m most excited to see what comes next. Happy travels!
STILL INTERESTED IN AN INTERNSHIP? We’re looking for talented writers and marketers eager to test their skills with Rocket Man Digital. We offer pay, experience and links to published content IF you have the chops and passion to buckle up and produce. Show us by sending us a few links of published work and why you want to join the Rocket Man Crew. Send to: jnowak@rocketmandigital.com.