I think I can, I think I can...I did!
What I think I noticed the most about this course is that for the first time since I started the program, I have actually met 95% of goals that I had for it according to my original mastery timeline. My goals were to learn to identify what type of market is needed or a specific project, to become efficient in using the tools required to compile demographic information, and to learn how to match the proper tools to ensure an organizational objective. While the tactics that I planned to use are not the tactics that I ended up using I would call this a win!
Though I created my goals based on a course description I think this course was the one that left me scratching my head a bit when looking only at the course description. Going into this I had no clue what market and consumer research was, the analysis part seemed self-explanatory, or why it would even be a subject that needed to be touched on for a Public Relations degree. I assumed that there was always a separate team for this kind of thing like a marketing team. Surely this couldn’t REALLY have anything to do with me and where I wanted to end up professionally. Obviously, I was wrong and I am very happy to have been wrong.
I have learned to be more self-reliant because of this course. Since I assumed that there was always an outside team or staff for the research part of a company I assumed I would always deal with other people’s work in those respects. Now not only do I have a more varied skill set but I know that I can do my PR work based on my own research. I am also going to be able to look at another person’s work if in fact there is research handed to me, and do my own analysis. I will be able to interpret and make my own decisions about what I am looking at. I will have the confidence to hand work back to others when I don’t think the research is correct or done in the way that it is needed.
To top the entire experience of this course off the instructor was quite possibly the most encouraging person I have had teaching me. This month was extremely difficult for me in a personal aspect because of a lot of factors including a huge move half way across the country with my entire family for a new job. Not once did she allow me to get discouraged or work myself to death which meant giving less than my best work. THANK YOU, Ms. Palmisano! You are the best.
