By: Morgan Jacobus, Editor in Chief
In case you missed it, there was a communication career panel with Regis alumni last Wednesday April 7. There was a lot to learn from these panelists, who all took different paths after graduation and each had a unique perspective to offer. Though there is a plentitude of advice that current communication students can learn from, they also offered plenty of practical advice, even for people who are not majoring in communication. From internships and mentors to the skills they learned and wished they had learned, here are the highlights from the panel.
First, let’s introduce the panelists. The panel was composed of five alumni: Nikolas Gatan, Mikaela Meyer, Zoey Sweeny, McKenna Solomon, and Ariana Badran. Gatan graduated in 2015, and now does sales and client relationships for Sphero, a STEM education company in Colorado. Meyer graduated in 2017, has graduated law school, and is currently working for a judge. Sweeny graduated in 2019, has PR/ marketing/ advertising experience and works in client relationships. Solomon graduated in 2017 and is the current social media strategist and marketing writer at Regis. Badran graduated with a dual major in Communication and Peace and Justice and is the assistant shelter manager at The Dolores Project in Denver.
The Path After Graduation
One of the prominent themes at the beginning of the panel was post-graduation, and what their choices were. It can be intimidating trying to find where your path will go after graduation, and there can be a lot of pressure to find a job right after graduation. However, these alumni stressed that you shouldn’t rush into something, especially if it isn’t the right fit. Be patient, and spend the time finding the right fit.
“The best thing was to wait for that perfect job and just being patient in finding the right career… Look for the right job because at the end of the day you are going to be so much happier,” said Gatan.
“Don’t feel like you need to make a life changing decision right after graduation,” said Meyer, who jumped into law school after graduating from Regis, but found that most of her classmates in graduate school took some time in between.
Further, don’t get discouraged when you don’t get the job you want right away. Some things take time.
“Things work out in the end. Don’t give up if you don’t get the job you are looking for right away, don’t give up if you get rejected 500 times because it may just happen that the perfect job for you is out there and it is just weird timing. Don’t give up on yourself no matter what you hear from other people or how discouraged you may feel,” said Meyer.
Things can change, and you have a lot of options at your disposal. Find what works best for you and know that you are not stuck in whatever you choose.
“Something I didn’t realize is that there is a lot of room to change. You are not on one track forever and as you go up go have some flexibility,” said Sweeny.
“The thing I liked most about communication… [and] careers in communication is that it is really diverse, you can do a lot with it. My future is nebulous, I don’t really know what I want to do… but the future is whatever I decide, you don’t have to have an answer. It is okay,” said Solomon.
Networking, mentorships, and internships
The next theme among the responses was related to networking, mentors, and internships, which are all interconnected. In communication, who you know is important, and your network plays a big role. Something each alumnus mentioned at least once was the importance of building and maintaining a network.
“I think that the one thing I have really learned through my early beginnings of my career is that your network is your most valuable tool,” said Meyer.
“It is really important to make those connections and keep those connections alive. I still talk to all of my internship supervisors. It is a really helpful relationship you can build because they can provide advice to you. I reach out for advice all the time, so definitely connect with those people, keep them in mind every day of your life,” said Solomon.
A mentor is something else that can help you while you are on your path and can play a big role in your life as a whole. The alumni recommend finding someone who is trustworthy, honest, compassionate, and will have your best interest in mind, both on a professional and a personal level.
“My mentor from [my DC internship] is one of my strongest motivators. He is the person I go to with all my questions. I literally called him a week ago. One of the things that I think is undersold is just how close you can become with these people personally. My boss just got married this summer, he invited 16 people to his wedding, and I was one of those 16 people,” said Meyer. “Don’t just look for somebody who is going to be your yes man, they should be your cheerleader but there is a difference between somebody who is saying what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear,” Meyer continued.
Your network plays a role when you are searching for internships, something that each communication major is required to have at least one of. Many of the alumni emphasized putting yourself out there as a strategy to get an internship.
“If I could go back and do it again, I would connect with as many people as I could on LinkedIn. Internships aren’t always posted on the websites and it is just word of mouth. Put yourself out there with your network and building your network. Connect with people and ask around,” said Gatan.
“Use your network that you already have, don’t be afraid to look online, search through websites, but also tell people that you are looking. I found mine because someone else dropped out of an internship and he was friends with my cousin. Telling people and being really transparent and being top of mind,” said Sweeny.
Though it is a requirement for a communication degree, there is a lot you can gain from whatever internship you pursue.
“Some of my biggest takeaways are learning what I do and don’t like out of a work environment and a work culture. I think that is really valuable… they can definitely be impactful for your career path for sure,” said Badran.
In addition to a strong network, the panel also offered other advice for how to find a good internship, including some helpful websites. Solomon recommended Andrew Hudson’s Job List as a good place to look, particularly for marketing or communication related internships. However, don’t underestimate the value of a good old-fashioned internet search.
“I definitely found my first internship online just googling around on one of those generic sites. Don’t be embarrassed where you are getting the information from, just look all over the place. Keep your eyes and ears open and something will pop up,” said Meyer.
“Look at the organizations you want to work for and check their websites religiously, that is how I got my internship at Cactus. Think about where you want to work and stalk their websites. It’s okay, they need the traffic anyway,” said Solomon.
“Sometimes people don’t post things at all. If you have your resume already made you can just send it out to places you are interested in working for,” said Badran, who has hired interns this way.
Skills you get from college, and skills you don’t
Another topic that was discussed was skills they acquired while at Regis, and some skills they had to learn once they entered the workforce. Though there are some things you will have to learn at that point, there are many valuable things they have learned that they attributed to Regis and the communication department specifically.
“Being able to take those skills from your presentations and group projects, learning to work with people I think is something that the communication department really encouraged us to do. Life is the group project; you are rarely working by yourself. I would encourage you to not forget the life skills you are taking from those and realizing that they really will be impactful and important in your career no matter what career you should choose to do,” said Meyer.
The skills you learn in college can take you far, so don’t underestimate them.
“Communication is so universal… everywhere you go you are going to need to be able to talk to people… so definitely take those interpersonal skills you [learn] and all the group projects that I know you guys are doing and take that to heart because it doesn’t change, you still have to work with people constantly,” said Badran.
“A lot of the skills you learn in communication is easily transferable. Utilizing those core skills: talking, writing, interpersonal communication; all of those things and being able to utilize them in different capacities will really help you wherever you go,” said Sweeny.
So, focus in and hone in on the skills you are building now, and don’t take them for granted. Capitalize on what you are building towards while you are still in college, especially with writing. Writing. Is. So. Important. You may not realize it, but as you go through your classes you are building skills that many people will be lacking in the workforce and can come to your advantage.
“Being in the communication arena you take for granted some of those skills that seem pretty simple – just like verbal written communication, and then you get into the workforce and you realize that a lot of people don’t have those skills. Working on those and honing those in will get you very far and are super important,” said Badran.
“Communication does a really nice job of exposing you to what I think is the hardest part of writing: writing very clearly, persuasively, and succinctly I think is very transferable to multiple arenas of careers. In my life that has been so true, it is what I do every day,” said Meyer.
“Don’t underestimate good writing, a good email, a good cover letter, resume, all that stuff really goes a long way,” said Sweeny.
Though Regis does a good job of trying to prepare you for the “real world,” don’t underestimate the value of an outside educational source, like webinars or Coursera. Gatan and Solomon discussed how they learned some helpful skills for their jobs in webinars, and they advise taking advantage of those opportunities. Whether it is search engine optimization or learning a business system, seek educational sources like webinars to further build your skillset.
But at the end of the day, there are things you will have to learn and adapt to.
“There are certain parts of certain work environments that just can’t be replicated in the classroom… Something I have had to hone in on are just verbal communication skills, giving feedback, asking for feedback, setting boundaries, managing crisis situations, so I think you can’t really learn that until you are in the position and someone is asking you for help or you just have to jump in. [I learned] a lot by making mistakes and watching what other people are doing,” said Badran.
“One advice I would give is something someone told me, which is fail hard and fail fast. Just dive in, it is okay to fail. Not everyone knows what they are doing and as long as you try… people are looking for students or employees that are coachable and teachable and will take feedback that aren’t afraid to dive in. You can be as prepared as you want but every job is going to throw a curveball,” said Sweeny.
General good advice
Lastly, there is just some good advice for life that I personally appreciated. For instance, something that was discussed were things that you should appreciate while in college, because you are going to miss it.
“Now I don’t have a Christmas break or spring break or things like that. There is no end in sight to some extent with work, and that is a big just personal adjustment,” said Badran.
“Make time for friends outside of work. In college it was so easy, but people’s schedules become busier. That was one thing for me was having to become more organized, my friends aren’t on the same schedule as I am so definitely enjoy the time in college to spend time with friends,” said Gatan.
Sometimes you just need a little encouragement and advice from someone who has been there. For example, something that may not seem as important but makes a difference is taking breaks for yourself.
“The most important thing to do for yourself in those first couple of months is to take your lunch. It seems small and insignificant but take that full hour or however much time they will allot you. Take those breaks and enjoy them because that is going to be your nuggets of sanity,” said Solomon.
At the end of the day, keep that passion alive amidst the struggle and drudgery of venturing out into the workforce.
“You absolutely need to keep in mind what it is that kept you going, why did you choose this career path to begin with, finding that nugget of passion that you have whatever that ends up being and holding onto that. Keeping in mind that the end goal, which should be to live that passion. Don’t forget what made you fall in love with certain jobs or certain aspects and try to follow your career path in ways that let you live that happiness every day,” said Meyer.