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Well, I began in advertising as a copywriter (A good copywriter, by the way, can always feed his family). I pushed myself to master the craft, winning any number of awards for my work. I was quickly promoted into an Associate Creative Director slot, handling mid-sized clients. Then I started my own firm and sold it ten years later. Since then, I have really enjoyed life as a brand consultant, a hired gun for 6-8 firms around the country, helping develop overall business strategy.
So you have to start somewhere and pay your dues. But once you're there, you learn everything you can as fast as you can. Use that liberal arts education to soak up information. Master new things. Have lots of conversations. Ask a zillion questions. Read everything you can get your hands on, from challenging fiction to the Wall Street Journal. Become a Renaissance man of sorts, conversant in a lot of different disciplines.
One of my strengths, for example, is the financial industry. I've done everything from local banks and credit unions to the superregionals. I've done de novo banks, mergers, acquisitions, investment products, mortgages, etc. etc. etc. To do my job better, I researched the financial industry. Acquired a general knowledge of the biz, including regulations, how transactions work, you name it. So last year, I was in a client meeting for a regional bank. I got to talking to the CEO at dinner, and we had a pretty detailed discussion about loan loss provision, etc. So the guy asked me, "So how long have you been in banking?" "Never," I replied. "You're kidding. You know more about banking than most of my middle-level managers."
The point of that story? A liberal arts education teaches you to learn. So the more you put that skill to work, the more you'll be able to capitalize off that ability in your career.
question when you first started in advertising as a copy writer, how did you do it? Did you actually find an ENTRY level copy writer job that did not require 2-3 years previous experience, did you work for free as a copywriter first then go from there, or was there some other method?
HIGHLY recommend you look into Boston University's excellent LEAP program which helps adukts with no science or engineering degree quickly obtain engineering degrees without having to do the whole undergrad nonsense.
Definitely think about engineering over the sciences. Prospects are much better.
Why are you regretting the journalism degree? I see positions all the time around here for writers and copywriters, esp. for social media and marketing stuff. I would get a web certificate or take some marketing or communications classes. No reason to regret that degree. at all
Why do you want to ditch journalism? There are some high-end journalism schools that prepare students for the current job market through MA degrees. Did you decide you don't like journalism?
question when you first started in advertising as a copy writer, how did you do it? Did you actually find an ENTRY level copy writer job that did not require 2-3 years previous experience, did you work for free as a copywriter first then go from there, or was there some other method?
Well, I wrangled a job at the local newspaper as a copy boy when I was a freshman. Then I asked a ton of questions and begged for a chance to write dinky little articles. I did good work so they entrusted me with more demanding assignments, such as crime reports, etc. I did well with those, so they started sending me around to cover things. Mind you, I was eighteen. By the time I was nineteen, I had my own byline. Now, I wasn't writing features or anything sexy like that. But I would do the occasional review of a band or book, things that helped stretch my writing chops.
So after graduating, I decided to not go into newspapers at all. I found that journalists were a pretty unhappy lot in general and weren't that well paid. And, even in the eighties, I knew that the handwriting was on the wall for newspapers. Instead, I got a job writing for a medical organization, essentially promoting their annual and regional meetings.
Looking back, I cannot believe how much responsibility was heaped on me at age 21. I was writing and acting as creative director on 80-page publications, directing photographers, freelance designers, and printers. But I did my job, hit my deadlines and budgets, and exceeded their target attendance.
After three years of that, I took a detour into a publications company but hated it. I clawed my way out after two years of seriously long hours (Typically 70+ hours weekly. Even the occasional 100-hour week) and went freelance. I banged on doors and, soon enough landed a part-time gig at an ad agency, like 15 hours a week.
But when I got in there, I asked questions, did lots of reading, put in extra unbilled hours, and generally busted my ass. Within two months, I was full-time. They fired a no-talent copywriter to make room for me. From there, I rose to ACD in about 18 months, acting as key contact on a major fashion account making really good money. I was freaking 27.
The point of all this? Do not simply rely on what you learn in a classroom. Go out and own it. Bust your ass. Take advantage of every opportunity. For luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
Well, I wrangled a job at the local newspaper as a copy boy when I was a freshman. Then I asked a ton of questions and begged for a chance to write dinky little articles. I did good work so they entrusted me with more demanding assignments, such as crime reports, etc. I did well with those, so they started sending me around to cover things. Mind you, I was eighteen. By the time I was nineteen, I had my own byline. Now, I wasn't writing features or anything sexy like that. But I would do the occasional review of a band or book, things that helped stretch my writing chops.
So after graduating, I decided to not go into newspapers at all. I found that journalists were a pretty unhappy lot in general and weren't that well paid. And, even in the eighties, I knew that the handwriting was on the wall for newspapers. Instead, I got a job writing for a medical organization, essentially promoting their annual and regional meetings.
Looking back, I cannot believe how much responsibility was heaped on me at age 21. I was writing and acting as creative director on 80-page publications, directing photographers, freelance designers, and printers. But I did my job, hit my deadlines and budgets, and exceeded their target attendance.
After three years of that, I took a detour into a publications company but hated it. I clawed my way out after two years of seriously long hours (Typically 70+ hours weekly. Even the occasional 100-hour week) and went freelance. I banged on doors and, soon enough landed a part-time gig at an ad agency, like 15 hours a week.
But when I got in there, I asked questions, did lots of reading, put in extra unbilled hours, and generally busted my ass. Within two months, I was full-time. They fired a no-talent copywriter to make room for me. From there, I rose to ACD in about 18 months, acting as key contact on a major fashion account making really good money. I was freaking 27.
The point of all this? Do not simply rely on what you learn in a classroom. Go out and own it. Bust your ass. Take advantage of every opportunity. For luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
great advice (my goal is more the publications company route as opposed to newspaper but your advice still applies)- I figured that for most people you will have to start out unpaid/underpaid before you hit the "real job".
The mistake many grads fall into/greater chance of falling into is only applying for the dream job/ideal job and ignoring the smaller guys, not willing to work for free/underpaid for a little bit.
I think the bottom line is if you apply and get the ideal first job- great, go for it. But if you don't, then do not spend months-years unemployed holding out for that perfect first job
great advice (my goal is more the publications company route as opposed to newspaper but your advice still applies)- I figured that for most people you will have to start out unpaid/underpaid before you hit the "real job".
The mistake many grads fall into/greater chance of falling into is only applying for the dream job/ideal job and ignoring the smaller guys, not willing to work for free/underpaid for a little bit.
I think the bottom line is if you apply and get the ideal first job- great, go for it. But if you don't, then do not spend months-years unemployed holding out for that perfect first job
You're welcome. And to your other point, I see that a lot. Anybody who sees the period between Spring semester final exams and the beginning of Fall semester as goof-off time is really blowing a huge opportunity. From the first month of my freshman year onward, I always had a writing gig. Not too long ago, I unearthed a bunch of my clippings from then and practically gagged at how bad some of them were, but you have to start somewhere.
In my own professional life, I've found that interns fall into two broad categories: 1) The ones who come in Day One and ask 5,000,000 questions and generally do their level best to contribute and grow and 2) the ones who sit around with the deer-in-the-headlights expressions, are afraid to take risks, afraid to ask questions, and unwilling to put in the extra hours. The first come out of their internships with contacts and experiences and a boffo set of references. The second wind up doing scut work, running errands, and are quickly forgotten.
My first job out of college, the aforementioned medical publications job, had miserable pay and no benefits. But it was the only job I could land, so I grabbed it with both hands and made it mine. Because of tragedy in my family, I had to work a second job to support my mother, but I squeezed that job for every bit of juice I could get from it.
By the time I was 23, I had a Rolodex (Wow, that dates me, doesn't it?) full of printers, designers, artists, photographers who knew me, respected me, and did good work for me. And in my dealings with them, I asked a million questions on how to do my job better, what to expect, and what to look out for. None of this was because I was especially brilliant. It was because I made every single day count. Yeah, I'm whiling away an hour between conference calls by writing this post, but I'm doing exactly what I want to do earning the money I want to make. Plus I tend to work in furious bursts. Think of posts like this as a warm-up for me.
So I think what bugs me most about threads like this, written by people who have earned a humanities degree, is their failure to understand what makes their chosen field of study important. For it's not about explicating a Keats poem, but rather about turning you into an autodidact, a lifelong learner.
As a direct result of the disciplines I learned in college, I have acquired the knowledge and authority to advise companies on matters far beyond my original realm of expertise. I direct strategic planning for companies. I weigh in on manufacturing issues. I help give insight on business deals such as mergers, acquisitions, and venture capital. I stroll into a room filled with MBAs and they listen--and not one of them has ever asked me about my degree. Shucks, not three years ago, I created an entire program on behalf of a client for the U.S. Army that got a commendation from the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Hell, I've even been able to look at the general chart of accounts of a mid-sized manufacturing company and tell them their books were 66¢ out of balance. Because whether it's bookkeeping, business, healthcare, banking, fashion, manufacturing, or a host of other industries, I've never been afraid to learn the biz from the ground up. Because I was given the tools to do so in the classroom.
Finally, I'm not exactly some outlier, the exception that proves the rule. Of the handful of people who graduated with me in my degree program, one sits on the board of a major oil company. Another heads up commercial lending for a megabuck. And the list goes on. I guess what I'm saying in a roundabout way is that, in the end, it's not all about your degree. It's about your initiative, your energy, your imagination and, most of all, your courage. Either you have guts or you don't. And your future hinges on it.
To add, I know plenty of people that have more than one degree. We have a Doctor here that started life as an Electrical Engineer. He got bored with it and is now an MD. Another co-worker became an Engineer, went back and earned his MBA, then went back again and became a CNA, then a LVN, and then went on to become an RN and recently earned his BSN. He now is over nursing at one of our hospitals.
Still like cpg35223 stated in that amazing post above this one, in so many words, don't sell yourself short and use what you have to where you want to go.
Well, I already have a 4-year degree, so I'm not sure I want to go through the whole undergrad thing again. A graduate degree seems to be the logical route, many of which can be completed in 2 years.
I'm looking into an MS because one of my main interests is computing. Though in terms of a steady career, it seems like the way to go is something that involves healthcare and technology. An MHA (Masters in Health Administration) seems sensible, but my original studies seem so far from that.
Well, I wrangled a job at the local newspaper as a copy boy when I was a freshman. Then I asked a ton of questions and begged for a chance to write dinky little articles. I did good work so they entrusted me with more demanding assignments, such as crime reports, etc. I did well with those, so they started sending me around to cover things. Mind you, I was eighteen. By the time I was nineteen, I had my own byline. Now, I wasn't writing features or anything sexy like that. But I would do the occasional review of a band or book, things that helped stretch my writing chops.
So after graduating, I decided to not go into newspapers at all. I found that journalists were a pretty unhappy lot in general and weren't that well paid. And, even in the eighties, I knew that the handwriting was on the wall for newspapers. Instead, I got a job writing for a medical organization, essentially promoting their annual and regional meetings.
Looking back, I cannot believe how much responsibility was heaped on me at age 21. I was writing and acting as creative director on 80-page publications, directing photographers, freelance designers, and printers. But I did my job, hit my deadlines and budgets, and exceeded their target attendance.
This was me...I started at a small newspaper at 24 and by 25, I wore the mantle of editor, beat reporter, photographer, features writer and editor, op ed columnist as well as copy editor and page/section designer all at once. The only things I didn't do were sell and/or create ads and write sports, and I'm sure if I'd wanted those, they'd have been flung on me, too.
I am astounded at the level of responsibility I had as a recent graduate, but I liked it that way, for a half-dozen years, anyway. As I approached 30, I decided I wanted to do something that didn't involve covering things every night after working a full workday, was done with late deadline nights putting the paper "to bed," was tired of cutting dates short because I got a call to drive 20 miles to go take a picture of something somebody thought was important, and was sick of always working holidays because the paper always comes out, no matter if there's a holiday or not.
I did very well, there, but I sacrificed much of my young adulthood to do so. 80-hour weeks were the norm, not just a once-in-a-while thing, because understaffing was practically a religion with this particular publisher.
I loved working in journalism (no journalism degree, simply English). I loved writing features (hated news reporting, but did it because I had to). I loved writing op eds. But I decided I wanted a job where some semblance of normal work-life balance was more possible, and working in small market newspapers with bare bones staffs wasn't it.
I am forever grateful that I did get to spend my twenties writing for publication and having the cart blanche to write about pretty much anything I wanted to, once my obligatory writing was taken care of. I'm glad I had the chance to win some writing awards at that young of an age. But it wouldn't have been sustainable as a career for me, even if the industry hadn't been on the precipice (late 90s through mid 2000s) of near-collapse.
I once thought that if I moved to a larger paper, and specialized more, rather than being the jack of all trades at a small family of papers, I might be able to keep a more regular/sane schedule, but as I got to know more and more people in the field, I saw that everyone, no matter the size of their paper, was stretched past the breaking point.
I'm glad I worked in journalism, but I'm also glad I got out before I turned 30.
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