I just got back from a three day trip to New York City for an internship and career tour with the College of Media at UIUC. Let me start by saying I have never been more in love with a place. After getting over the sheer starstruck from meeting these major media influencers and all around brilliant executives, journalists and editors in the business, I kept trying to regurgitate in my mind what I have learned from all their advice and experiences.
I couldn't figure it out right away, so I kept asking questions, rephrasing them, hoping someone would make the answer clear, but it all seemed so contradictory to one another. What's the real secret? They made me want to be in their positions, or at least have the opportunity to be in their presence daily, whether that meant fetching coffee or going out and interviewing subjects. I need to be here, I thought to myself with excitement boiling over panned with a slight paranoia from the uncertainty of how I would go about accomplishing this dream of mine. Spoiler Alert: I figured it out.
Sitting on the flight back home to the Windy City, I was able to put a finger on what this secret ends up being--its that there is no one piece of advice you should take. I mean that with the utmost respect towards these clearly successful individuals, so let me rephrase that, there is no one piece of advice you should take. They all are successful, yes. But they all had their own unique journey that got them there, and it wasn't always a party.
For every person that told me they got where they are by landing tons of internships before they even graduated, there was another who explained that they fooled around in college and ended up having an epiphany that lead them to their current position. Where does that leave me, then? I'm neither a perfect example of collegiate success, nor failure. I'm just me.
And that's it! I'm me. No one else gets to be that, so why would there be an already discovered path for me? I realized I need to brand myself and follow my dreams with confidence and determination. The journey won't be easy, but it will be worth it.
People will tell you you are being unrealistic and need to come back down to Earth, but those people are probably sitting in an office in front of a computer screen wearing a plain black suit at a 9 to 5 job. With all due respect to those who choose that path--because I'm sure I'll need them to do my paperwork someday--that's not what I want. So why should I take their advice?
Working hard and making a difference in the media industry is realistic for me because I believe in my ability and am ready to work hard for as long as it takes until I get what I want. That's what all these executives and journalists had in common, they all believed in their crazy dreams as a future reality and they all gladly took the path less traveled by to get to that point. See you there, guys.
