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Christina Contento2007 graduate Public Relations option Employed as Account Coordinator at Ketchum, Los Angeles |
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Q. Thinking back to your early days in the journalism program (e.g., “Writing for Mass Media”), is journalism what you expected it to be? A. No, not at all. I think that could be because the journalism landscape is continually changing, and also because while the skills you learn in the classroom are essential, the circumstances in which you apply them are completely different in the workplace than in the classroom. Q. How are you applying the skills you learned in the journalism program at Chico State? A. I think journalism professors at Chico State have extremely high expectations and are continually challenging their students. Because of this, I was able to leave Chico State with skills that a lot of other students didn’t – like the ability to meet deadlines, work independently, be resourceful and produce quality work. Q. How many jobs have you held since graduation? A. Two. Prior to my position at Ketchum I was an Associate Client Executive at Voce Communications. Q. Are you happy with your job (and life) post-graduation? A. Yes, it’s completely different than college but you get a whole different sense of gratification out of it. It’s work hard, play hard – and you get paid! Q. Please briefly describe what you do in an average day. A. There isn’t really an “average” day. A day basically revolves around client/account needs, which are always changing. But I would say there are typical tasks and responsibilities throughout the day like: media monitoring, compiling clip reports, creating editorial/speaking calendars, researching media opportunities, updating activity reports and a number of administrative/operational tasks the seem tedious but are essential to running an account successfully. Q. Do you think the journalism program prepared you well for your job? A. Yes, specifically TGC. There is no way I would be where I am now without the experiences and opportunities it presented me with. Q. Do you think the skills you gained in the program gave you a competitive edge in the job market? Why or why not? A. Yes, and this goes off of my previous answers. Chico has great professors in the journalism department who expect a lot of you, really care about your education and work really hard to provide opportunities that will help you be successful. It speaks for itself – companies who have hired a Chico State journalism grad swear by them and always go back for more. Q. What do you wish you’d learned or done differently while a journalism student at Chico State? A. There isn’t anything I wish I would have necessarily learned, but I wish I would have realized that students who come from universities in more urban areas seem to have a more competitive edge because of there proximity to prestigious companies and unique internship opportunities. For example, the closest established PR agency to Chico State is in Sacramento – and that is pushing it. Post-graduation employers are looking for students who have had 2 or even 3 internships. That’s hard to do in a small, college town like Chico. Q. Do you have any advice for graduating seniors? A. Your classes alone will not give you a competitive edge. Get involved in some thing, and make yourself somehow stand out from the rest. Don’t just do an internship, do two. It’s only getting more and more competitive in the job market. Information compiled by Mackenzie Seaman |
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Cat Bytes is a student-produced publication of the Department of Journalism /
California State University, Chico
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