A couple of months ago, I was asked by former tutor (John Rafferty) at Staffordshire University to do a talk for the third year Career Development class. I was initially wary about it as the thought of speaking to an audience of 100 people terrified me! However, the more I thought about it the more I realised how beneficial my talk could be. That wasn’t meant to sound big headed, but life after graduation hasn’t been easy.
I graduated from Staffordshire University in 2009 with a 2:1 degree in Journalism. I wish someone had told me that the journey wasn’t going to be easy; the recession didn’t help things as of course the job market suffered. I was lucky as I had continued support from my family, friends and from my tutors- even after graduation. I also didn’t give up, juggling a part-time job and getting as much experience under my belt until I found a full-time role.
So I took a deep breath and typed the word ‘yes’ in my email to John…
A few weeks later and there I was, standing outside the film theatre at Staffordshire University. It felt like just yesterday that I was standing in that very spot waiting for a lecture…and now I’d be the one talking in it!
Armed with a presentation (and a little pep talk from John), I was ready as I was ever going to be. I’ve not had to do much public speaking in the past few years and definitely not on this scale. As a Social Media Executive here at Ed James Group, I’ve got used to being social from behind the screen!
I wouldn’t be alone as another graduate, Ross Campbell who currently works in Marketing and Copywriting at Phones4U would be speaking too (ah that rhymes!), which took the edge of the day for me.
After a nervous start, I spoke to the students about my journey; from the experience I gained at University to my current role. I wanted to show that although I studied single honours Journalism, it could be applied to other job roles such as PR and Social Media, which is what I did. The skills I acquired from Staffordshire University have definitely been transferred to my current role.
A few years ago, I would never have thought about a career in Social Media- in fact, most of the social media platforms weren’t around then! But the digital side to PR & Marketing cannot be ignored in this day and age.
I hoped the students appreciated my honesty- and by the feedback I received after the lecture and through Twitter, I think they did. Phew! I was really proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and doing the talk. The positive feedback from the students and former tutors made it all worthwhile.
I would like to say a huge thank you to John Rafferty and Pete Leydon from the Staffordshire University Journalism team for all their help and advice over the years- and for inviting me back.
If you would like to find out more about a career in Social Media then drop us a Tweet (@edjamesgroup) or send an email to [email protected]Â
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