On the morning of graduation, I made the exciting decision to accept one of my job offers. You are probably thinking, “The morning of graduation? Weren’t you a little busy?” Yes, I was! (In fact, I was enjoying a delicious breakfast with my family, some of whom had made the journey in from Canada!)
But that is aside from the point. Ultimately, this was about achieving a goal of mine: to graduate with a job. (Because, by golly, I needed to know where my life was headed after I crossed the stage to accept my diploma!) So, in honor of my achieving my goal, I made an exhilarating phone call to my future employer at TechRadium and accepted a position as a Sales and Marketing Analyst.
Now fast-forward three months – roughly sixty-five days of work (minus Memorial Day and the 4th of July) – and ask me how I like my job. Go ahead; ask me!
My answer? I LOVE IT.
Aside from the fact that I do exciting work with great people in a new and dynamic industry, I honestly believe a huge reason as to why I love my job is because I was so ready for it. For that, I sincerely believe I have Northwood to thank.
When people ask me what I do, I typically will smile and ask them if they’d prefer me to tell them what I don’t do. Because I work at a small company, my position allows me to gain a greater understanding of not only my division (Homeland Security Programs), but multiple departments! My days and weeks have been filled with a variety of tasks – working with our graphics designer to develop a new website and logo; researching potential markets and current competitors; brainstorming ad ideas, tag-lines and catch phrases; drafting manuals, guides and policies; managing the social media and blog; etc.
I am continually reminded of the things I was taught in school as I experience them in the workforce. It is such a rewarding feeling to know that all of my hard work paid off – the countless hours I spent online for research projects; endless group projects and brainstorming sessions; even things from my programming languages class! I know professors always tell us that we will use what they’ve taught us; and we want to believe them! But, in the back of our minds, we always wonder, “Am I really going to use this?” Well, my answer to that? I sure do.
So take it all in…from this Northwood graduate to you, a current student: I am telling you with 100% honesty that if you work hard and heed the advice of your professors, you will be prepared when it is your turn to walk across that stage. Ready or not, the “real world” is waiting for you when you are done…so make the most of your time preparing for it.
~ Melissa
