My First Juice: An Underdog Story

In light of the recent presentation from Ad2 Pittsburgh, I wanted to share my experience of the first time I attended a Juice event. My first Juice was January of last year at Tenn Penny on Penn Avenue. I walked in with a friend that graduated with the same degree in 2014 to a crowd of people that seemed unwilling to give us the time of day. It was incredibly intimidating and for about the first 30 minutes, we stuck to ourselves. Eventually, we noticed some other Duquesne Alumni and it sparked a conversation. Through them, we met other people working at Apple Box Studios. If you end up going, it's likely you will find someone else you know there, Pittsburgh is a small town.

I strongly suggest bringing a friend. People often say to go alone so you are forced to talk to people, but I don't think bringing a friend inhibits you from networking. In fact, it increases the chances you will find someone one of you knows.

The next Juice we went to was in April, and I had already met Chris a few months ago. He was able to introduce me to some of his coworkers at Chemistry Communications. Through networking, I was able to inquire about an internship and was later interviewed for the position. I've gone to a few more events with the organization and have been able to grow my network in the advertising community. Young professionals in Pittsburgh are almost always willing to help because they understand what it's like to be in our shoes.

Check the Facebook page for a list of upcoming events: https://www.facebook.com/Ad2Pittsburgh/?fref=ts