Graduation

It's almost time for graduation!  Am I prepared?  No.  Is anyone?  Doubtful. 

Whether or not we are prepared, the date is coming.  Quite frankly I am excited, anxious, nervous and sad all at once.  December 19 is approaching fast and I am hoping to get my shit together before then.  I shall keep everyone updated on my progress.

As a side project to this blog (which I know can be boring sometimes) I have started another blog of types for a passion of mine - swimming.  After a trip to Mexico City to visit a dear friend of mine, I re-acquired some of my old inspiration for the sport and decided to really start working out again.  This could be the only up-side to the fact that I do not have a job for post-graduation time.  If I am at home in Pittsburgh, I will be able to join the Team Pittsburgh Masters program with a few friends of mine.  Hopefully I'll get in shape enough to start racing again soon. 

Moral of the story is:  When in doubt about what the future has to hold, take what you can from what you are given and continue to strive for everything else that you want.  Don't give up.

Busy People Just Plain Work Harder

Vice President of Clarion University's American Marketing Association (AMA) chapter means that I am in charge of all Community Service projects done by our organization.  At least some of these projects are bound to be dull, but the overall experience is a learned one.  After all, community service is to help other people.  In my mind, it is supposed to be a somewhat selfless act --even though in this case the AMA members who participate are able to use this work on their resumes.  That being said, shouldn't it spark some interest among members?

 

As I sit here a half hour past the time of the scheduled committee meeting tonight, I am quite sure that the whole committee is not just late for the meeting.  This makes me wonder.  If building upon ones own self image through non-labor intensive, easy work doesn't light a fire for people to actually work, what does? 

 

I've also taken in to consideration that the people who do show up for such meetings and participate in such work are usually those who have the busiest schedules.  Take for example, our AMA Advisor, Ms. Mazik.  Not only does she manage to juggle her career(s) -- Full Time Bank Manager, University Marketing Professor, but she is also involved in other community activities (Rotary being one of them).  Did I mention she is also enrolled in a Doctoral program hours away from her other two jobs?  Yet, she was willing to try and make it to the meeting that she didn't even NEED to be at.  In fact, the only person that actually ended up showing was a girl that rushed straight here from a dance practice (thanks Brittany).

 

When you want something done on time, give it to the busiest person in the office, right?

 

What do you think?  How can you spark the interest of those strugglers who are dragging along behind the rest of the crowd?  Better yet, is it even worth trying?

Posted via email from Ashley Moran's Posterous

Balloon Boy

I'm not sure what to think, but who feels that this could be a ploy for an extra 15 minutes of fame for the wife swap family? 

Check out this link from a BNO Tweet and tell me what you think...

Officials begin internal meeting over balloon boy story as doubts emerge: http://news.bnonews.com/vtm7

DJ Bonics Visits Clarion

Last night, Clarion University AMA was honored to welcome DJ Bonics of 96.1 Kiss FM to give insight in to what Professors don't tell us in the classroom. 

Before the event he Tweeted that he was nervous because there were over 100 students that attended the event, but he was great!  He talked a ton about blogging and social media to promote yourself, as well as about finding your own niche that makes you who you are.  I totally agree that finding something you love to do is uber important.  After the speech we got a chance to go out to a few bars with Bonics and the AMA crew.  It was nice to get to know him better and chat a bit about what to do after graduation!

Thanks for the goose and tonic!

Stress

Coming up with an idea and presenting it to a group is not a problem. Taking charge and handing out work is easy. Deciding the best course of action to 'win over your man' is child's play. All of these things can be practiced until they are close to perfection. Dealing with the stress when things go wrong is the difficult chapter. So what happens when your project proposal bombs and your significant other leaves you? Most people would probably cry and complain. Some might bitch that it is not their fault. Others might sink in to a depressive state including large amounts of liquor and take out. Wouldn't it be nice if (for a short amount of time) we could wallow in our own self pity wondering what could have possibly gone wrong and where, and then simply accept that things cannot be changed? Then, in a world where everyone had a little faith, we would get right back up and keep trying.




This summer, I worked on a few projects that dealt with non-profit organizations and fundraising for cancer awareness. Even now, months later, I find myself thinking of the cancer victims that we profiled for the events. If you want to find a good example of why it is important to keep on fighting and to keep on living despite the downfalls in our lives, talk to a cancer victim. One woman being profiled for a fundraising event for breast cancer says that when she is feeling defeated and down, she allows herself 5 minutes to feel sorry and to cry and be angry. After those 5 minutes are over, she knows it is time to continue dealing with everyday occurances of life and to continue fighting her own individual battle at the same time. Because life does not stop or slow down to feel sorry for you.



As a college student, and soon to be graduate, I have been experiencing levels of stress above any I have had before. What will I do after graduation? Will I find a job with the recession? Am I going to be happy with my decision to go to school for a Business degree? Should I continue on to higher education? How will I be able to land a job, study for the GMAT and finish my presentations and papers on time? Stress is like the muscle soreness that comes two days after a hard workout. It sneaks up on you just when you think you are in the clear. Exercise helps. Eating healthy helps. But having the right mental attitude to withstand the stresses of everyday life is a leap in the right direction.

When life starts to fall apart and stop making sense, that is when you know you are living. It is not about the failures and shortcomings, but how we go about handling them that makes all the difference.

The Places I Will Go...

What does experience mean in the eyes of an up-and-coming college graduate?

Everything.

From the beginning: As Strata-G’s summer PR intern; I am quickly learning the importance of hands on training. I feel the best way of learning is sometimes to dive in to the pool head first, so to speak, and find the way to the surface once fully immersed in water. This method of learning provides for a trial and error experience that enables a much faster rate of comprehension. My experience at Strata-G has gone swimmingly in that direction, so far – Just how I like it!

What I’ve learned: During the few short weeks that I have been working, I have done more than I could have hoped for in an entire summer. After starting by building media lists and compiling editorial calendars, I moved on to pitching, press releases, follow-ups and coordinating interviews between clients and media contacts. Being able to actively participate in meetings, doing product drops for White Castle, participating in the Hyde Park Blast and traveling to Lexington for a TV shoot for Big Ass Fans have been other perks of the job. Stepping outside of the University life and diving in to the “real world” experience at Strata-G has been anything but a complaint so far.

The reason why: School is great. It is the growing-up experience of a lifetime. However, let’s face it; experience within an ad agency where you learn from and work alongside professionals, provides more knowledge than school could offer within a lifetime. After all, who knows the ins and outs of the industry better than those individuals that have already worked their way up the ladder?

Conclusion: My experience at Strata-G has been anything but dull, and I would not have it any other way. Even with my time being only half way over, I can already say that I have gained a sensible amount of knowledge to take back with me to Clarion University in the fall. Oh the places I can go with the experience I have gained…

Thanks Strata-G team!

Trabajo Perfecto

I know it has been quite some time since I have posted. Day to day life, i.e. final exams, graduation ceremonies, internship hunting, has gotten in the way of my personal time to sit down and write! Each of these daily activities is performed for the purpose of obtaining ones dream career. So why is it that the majority of my elders are, "still figuring out what they want to be when they grow up"?

As I sat watching the graduation ceremonies for the Clarion University, Class of 2009, I saw a plethora of students who have yet to find any job, let alone the "perfect job" so many people speak of. What makes an ideal career? Is it to solely find something you love to do, even if you cannot live within the means of your salary? Or is it to take the high paying job that comes complete with a bonus package of "you'll have a heart attack in one year"? Is there really a happy medium to these scenarios? College students need more guidance on how to find a career that will make them happy by providing them with enjoyable work, as well as enjoyable pay.

I am interested to know how others have gone about finding their own "perfect job".

Some helpful information can be found in Dan Miller's 48 Days To The Work You Love.

Nano-Blogging

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeLZCy-_m3s

I ran across this video on youtube today and found it interesting. In this "mockumentary" as they call it, Andy Bouve directs the video to portray a message that Twitter takes up too much time to utilize so they would come up with a "nano-blogging" system called Flutter. I find it an interesting form of 'accidental' marketing for Twitter itself. The video gives Twitter an impersonal image, where on the contrary, I believe it allows people to network on a more personal level. What better way to really understand someone than to have access to their blogs, writing samples, facebook accounts, and daily knowlege resources through Twitter?

What is this thing called Twitter?

With the digital age on an ongoing uphill climb, what is the best way for students in the marketing field to enable themselves with the best possible sources of learning? After just recently registering for Twitter, and posting it on my Facebook page, many of my peers asked me to explain what Twitter was. It got me thinking about the way we learn at the university level.

We take class after class on marketing in order to finish our degree audit in time to graduate. We learn material for the main purpose of passing a test on the subject. Whether it be Advertising, Research, Problems in Marketing, International Marketing, Retail, Sales, etc... Students as a whole are not learning the importance of social media and how it plays a significant part in the roles we will hold in companies in the near future. With professors that may or may not be up to date on the new mediums available to help market products, students are not grasping the concepts soon enough. Online tools such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube are powerful marketing tools that we should be learning to use as soon as possible. Without the aid of college professors or mentors, how do students know how to best use the resources given to them? The advertising world is so fast-paced that it is hard to keep up.

I recently attended the AMA International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans with my school's chapter. I was enlightened to find out from President of Zehnder Communications, Tom Martin, that these tools were not only great ways to advertise products and ideas via the web, but to network as well. With the job market being competitive on not only the national, but international level today, would it not be nice for students to be educated on these types of media sooner in their college careers? I think so.