I don’t know what kind of job I’m going to pursue yet. There are all sorts of things I want to do but quite unfortunately that doesn’t necessarily mean they are practical desires. My parents have been gnawing on their fingernails in worry about the vagueness of my future career. Their prescribed solution--shadowing professionals in different areas.
I began my search by talking to a friend’s dad who works in publishing and he gave me some art director contacts. I have been looking for jobs in creative fields. I got involved in art in high school on a whim, but now I don’t want to give it up. The title of Art Director sounded very impressive. It also sounded like the job came with creative freedom.
I managed to get in touch with an Art Director at a metroplex paper. A friend and I went to visit her and see the workplace in action. The Director introduced us to designers and photographers for the newspaper as well. We ended up talking to the photographer all afternoon. He was a fashion photographer who took pictures at major runway shows for twenty years. We were star struck. My friend and I asked to come back at the end of the week to meet with him again. He ended up teaching us all about how to use SLR cameras. Another media artist we met later in the day told us all the instruction we had gotten was equivalent to an Intro to Photography college course.
The amazing thing about visiting the newspaper was how helpful and informative everyone was. We not only met the Art Director, but two designers, two interns, a photographer, and two multimedia experts. Each individual shared his or her unique perspective on the creation of the paper. As very recent high school graduates, my friend and I felt extremely lucky to be able to talk to professionals and that they were so willing to help us. The atmosphere was very welcoming.
Still, I am not set on any given career. This experience shadowing provided an interesting opportunity. I was given a glimpse of life at a newspaper from eight vantage points. Shadowing is an excellent way to explore career options and most adults are quite willing to help out a college kid.
