Goal Setting

I am Growing: A Reflection on My First Advertising Class

Posted on by rio.sav

The last few weeks of my winter semester were filled with worry as I frantically rearranged my summer schedule. I spoke with advisors, co-workers, family, and friends about my situation. Yes, I had to bare the six-week journey of summer classes. When I finally signed up for CAP 105, my first advertising and PR class, I was ecstatic. I just added the minor to my marketing major a few months ago, and it just made sense. I was delighted to have the opportunity to have an outlet for my creativity. Reading over the syllabus, I grew even more jubilant.

I walked into my class with confidence. The professor walked in and we began almost instantly.  Very quickly, I became overwhelmed. We began blogs, homework assignments, certifications, and much more. I realized early on that many students were taking this class to finish up their majors/minors. I began self-doubting myself as I went through the more advanced student’s blogs/assignments. I started to feel uncomfortable asking questions in class and often felt I was behind everyone else in terms of skills. In high school, I never had a photoshop class or a graphic design course. I was well versed in business, since that was what I studied in high school, up to this point in my life. I was used to having structure and specific guidelines that we would follow daily. This was so difficult for me at first.

After the first few weeks, I grew more comfortable. I made a few friends, I began asking more questions (no matter how dumb I thought they were), and I worked on myself. I realized that we all have our different styles and outlets when it comes to creativity. I learned more about the business world and how to utilize different social platforms. I had the opportunity to earn certifications (the hyperlink is one example of a certification I completed) in different courses that would ultimately be beneficial for my career and job search. I also learned about customer relationship management, along with the different types of customers we can have. I created this blog! We also learned about email strategies. We went over the topic of copyright and how important it is to ask for permission or use your own photos. We learned about the basics of photoshop and created an amazing magazine article.

Through this class, I was able to explore myself and even figured out what I want to do after college. I went from being a very frustrated and nervous college student to a confident and excited college student. I am so thankful that I could gain something from this course. There have been times in which, I feel a class has no relevance to my area of study or real-world experience. With this class, that has never been the case.

Various speakers in the class were kind and insanely intelligent. They had no problem answering my questions and made the class think. It feels great to look back at the vast amount of knowledge and real-world experience I have gained from this course. I know that this is just the start of my growing experience in advertising and public relations.

All in all, my professor encouraged me so much throughout the course and I cannot thank her enough. She was so understanding when I came to her and spoke with her about my troubles. She helped me gain confidence in all I do. She had so much knowledge and experience. This class truly prepares students for the real world.

 

 

The Sky is the Limit: Goal Setting, My First Job After College, & Personal Branding.

Posted on by rio.sav

We are constantly making goals in today’s world and we are either going beyond expectations, living up to them, or falling just short of them. Setting goals is an incredibly important part of growing and getting ahead in life. Often times, writing down your goals makes them easier to achieve and reminds you of your purpose in life. Today, I will be writing down my goals and how I am going to achieve them.

In the next two years, I would like to accomplish the following objectives. For starters, I would like to complete my goal of studying abroad in Brighton, United Kingdom. This has been a dream of mine since I was just a child. Brighton has an amazing business university. I had the opportunity to study abroad during the fall and winter 2018-19 semesters, but sometimes life gets in the way. I would like to achieve this before I graduate.

Speaking of graduating, another goal I would like to accomplish in the next two years is I would like to graduate from Grand Valley State University with a major in marketing and a minor in advertising and public relations.

Another goal I would like to accomplish would be to get a job at a small airport in Toledo, called Grand Aire. When I was a senior in high school, I had the opportunity to job shadow someone who worked in the sales and marketing department. Instantly, I fell in love with the company’s mission and grew an admiration for those who worked there and what they stood for.

My fourth goal to accomplish, would be to serve on the MYLead board as a communication/marketing director or even the social media coordinator. MYLead is a leadership program designed to get sophomore students out of their comfort zone. This conference teaches students about life and how to go about it in a positive attitude. MYLead has the potential to change lives and it does so every year. This position would be essentially an internship and it would be something I am incredibly passionate about.

For my last goal, I would like to save enough money to start paying off my student debt and perhaps purchase a newer car.

A large part of creating and setting goals is considering the values one has. Without values, goal setting would be increasingly difficult. Some of the core vales I obtain is honesty, leadership, service, respect, compassion, and creativity.

As mentioned previously, I would like to start working for Grand Aire in Toledo, Ohio when I graduate from Grand Valley State University in the year 2020. There are many key factors that go into being successful when it comes to working in the fields of marketing and communications. In order to be successful at Grand Aire, I need to be sufficient in the following areas:

  • Sales
  • Communication skills
  • Problem solving/strategic thinking
  • Providing insight
  • Staying up to date with trends
  •  Networking
  • Analyzing competition
  • Budgeting
  • Be open minded
  • Know your target market
  • Be aware of your image and the image the company wishes to portray

By keeping these things in mind and becoming sufficient in these areas, it would be possible to work in the career that I hope to. These key factors are not only beneficial to those pursing careers in marketing and communications, but it is also beneficial to all careers. In terms of the future and achieving my goals, becoming sufficient in these factors, etc., I have created a list that will help me keep the right mind set and habits during my journey.

I would like to approach the future by being:

  • Organized
  • Efficient
  • Diligent
  • Creative
  • Positive
  • Jubilant
  • Taking things one step at a time

Talking about ones’s strength makes people uncomfortable now a days. Often times saying we are leaders aloud can make us feel awkward, or arrogant, when it shouldn’t. We should be proud of the people we are today. There is nothing wrong with letting people know our strengths. For this purpose, I am going to talk about my strengths. I would say I am a leader. I am hardworking, motivated, and a positive person. I am generous and compassionate. I am understanding and efficient. I am precise and a “go getter.” I am caring and empathetic (Que the song Lean On Me). I am a student, sister, daughter, and friend. I love to make others laugh.  I am Rio. Over the years, I have dealt with my own trials and tribulations and I am a better person today, because of it. Through leadership programs such as MYLead, community service organizations such as Key Club, and a wonderful support system, I have grown into the person I am today.

I would like to improve our world in many ways. There are so many opportunities to make the world a better place. I would like to start off by creating a positive environment for everyone. During a leadership conference this past weekend, one of the students said to me “I wish everyone had the opportunity to see what it is like to live in a positive environment with no judgement.” This statement stuck with me. I would like to do that for others. For now, I will start off with small acts of kindness. This would range from a variety of things, but for now, it will start off as being a friend to anyone and everyone. People need compassion and love. I want to bring this to the table, starting today.