Travel All Paths

I am a big believer of the “try everything once” mantra. Well, maybe not everything (I’m looking at you, acid-wash jeans), but definitely most things. I try to live out this motto in all aspects of my life, but perhaps the most important area in which it should be followed is in the career world.

Like many of you out there, I thought I had it all figured out in high school. I liked to read and write; I liked art and magazines; and my friends were always coming to me to edit their research projects and college admissions essays. “Hey,” I thought to myself as I mulled over my strengths and interests. “I’ll go to Purdue, major in communication, and become the editor of Vogue my first year out of college. Easy.” But when I arrived in West Lafayette my world turned on its ear. I realized that there were so many other career paths that I never even considered, and it seemed unfair to close off those roads and stick with my “master plan.”

So instead of closing down those roads, I travelled them. I began in areas that were familiar to me, and started off as a copy editor for the student newspaper. From there it evolved into reporting, writing, and even leading the launch of a branch of an online magazine for college women.

Launching this branch is what helped me expand even more. The responsibilities that accompanied managing a magazine branch were many. In addition to writing and editing, I also coordinated schedules, published content, managed a staff, lead publicity campaigns, and directed social media accounts. Many of these things I had zero experience with prior, so it was a great learning experience. I had noticed that many of the other branches of this publication had organized and hosted events for their schools, and this lead me to my next endeavor: event planning.

I spent the past summer interning for an event planning company in northern Indiana. I worked primarily on the wedding circuit, doing both design and day-of event coordinating. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

While these paths may seem to cross from the artistic point of view, they are all extremely different. Similarities can be seen in each, but had I not pursued each one I would never have known how different they could be.

This is why internships are so important for college students. Not only do they pump up a lackluster resume, they also allow provide a taste for the industry in which the student is interested. It is hard to say if one will truly love their intended career path without being immersed in it prior to graduation.

I’m still testing out different career paths, but I now have a better idea of what I like and what I dislike. So gain as much experience as you possibly can. Whether it is through internships, job shadowing, or even observation, test out as many roads as you can and give everything a fair shot.