Advertising and Me

As my academic career boils down into the one final moment, where I am reaching to grab a diploma, I am reflecting on everything that has brought me to this point in my life. From the school I selected, the dreams I had at first, to the college major concerns and people I met along the way. It seems cliche, and it kind of is. But Advertising and I never always had this relationship, and I never thought that I would be entering into this industry the way that I did.

I originally wanted to go to school for graphic design. I quickly figured out though, that Duquesne was probably a mistake for entering into that practice. Duquesne is an amazing school in a city that can offer a lot to a student eager to learn and grow, but I probably should have gone to an art school for something like that. Though, I did want to stay creative; just because I could not create the things the way I saw them in my head didn't mean I had to retire from creative works entirely. My sophomore year is when I found out that I could actually MAKE the concepts and develop the creative strategies that would drive people to my advertisements, or my clients, or the overall campaign. This excited me and I pursued my second major, Advertising.

The classes that Duquesne offered let me grow and challenge myself in all different fields within the industry. I found that there were three things that I favored when it came to Advertising and my experience with it in the last four years:

1. The most personal and loveable aspect of the industry is the people. This is rather general, and it's not just because we talk to the people on the other side of the ad, it's also all the people you get to meet and work with. Teamwork is absolutely crucial in this industry and the creative department relies a lot on one another to comb out ideas and establish captivating themes for client campaigns.  I have met over 100 people in my expertise that have influenced me for the better, preparing me for the world to come after I graduate. These connections grow into other connections and I soon find myself in a small world, running into those I may have met my freshman year as I was still figuring things out.

2. The environment is fast-paced, dynamic, and open to change. As a military child, I have bounced from place to place with my family during my childhood which has cultivated adaptability and a desire for ongoing change. Advertising lets me work on an array of client accounts while always ready to change when something goes wrong, or right. I look forward to my everyday "routine" and what kinds of crazy tasks await me.

3. Advertising is without bounds, with seemingly no limitations. While one may argue, "technology" and "law or regulation," I'm speaking more on the creative end. But, even with technology that argument doesn't hold up because there have been campaigns that hire people to develop new forms to technology for the sake of a compelling campaign. Anyways, I'm talking solely about the way that a team can approach a client problem. There is a vast sea of concepts and themes just waiting to be transformed into a campaign and the backbone of it all is the solid research foundation; so make that my unofficial fourth thing favored in the advertising industry!

It has been an amazing academic journey and I am so excited to move on into the professional world and see what I will be able to offer. Thank you Duquesne for your guidance, and thank you to my professors that paved the way!