Determining your career path can be difficult, let alone choosing if college is the right choice for you, deciding which one to attend, and then choosing a major. So, we thought we’d share each of our personal experiences to help bring some insight to such a big decision.
Shelly’s College & Career Path
As a high-school student, I always took high level math and science classes while being involved in more extra-curriculars than time allowed! I thought someday I would be a chiropractor, orthodontist, or eye doctor. As I took career tests, I placed high in problem solving and creativity, so that, along with my passion for math and science, led me to consider architecture or engineering.
I should also mention that my passion for Iowa State University started at a young age when my parents (both ISU alums) took me to the Cyclone football games, to tour campus, and just relish in the Ames city life. Who doesn’t love seeing the former National Champions and 7th ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers get annihilated by the Iowa State Cyclones and tear down the goal posts and throw them in Lake LaVerne at the age of 10!? From that moment, I didn’t know how anyone could look elsewhere to attend college after that kind of experience!
During the summer between my junior and senior year in high school I participated in Iowa State’s Program for Women in Science and Engineering and took the Internet Explorer’s track. We spent six weeks living in the dorms on the Iowa State campus, touring different engineering programs, and learning about cool things such as VR, robotics, and new chemical concoctions (my kids tell me that I am old…yes, ISU was one of the first schools exploring virtual reality technology back in 1999). Although the lab experiences and meeting fascinating scientists was super cool, the thought of working in a lab the rest of my life frightened me. That wasn’t me at all! (NOTE: No…engineers are not in the lab all the time…that was just my perception from being in the research labs on campus).
Luckily, my experience during the program was to learn about the advancements engineers were making and create webpages to communicate those advancements to the public. WOW, did I LOVE that part of the process! I learned that I’m a visual learner, a people person, a communicator, and that I love seeing a good project come to fruition. After that on-campus experience, I was introduced to graphic design (a major that ISU lead the country in).
Thanks to my ten-year 4-H experience, I was always yearning to learn something new. I knew how to brainstorm multiple solutions for a problem, document my processes, and create a product that was effective and visually pleasing. The College of Design’s majors were very rigorous, with the first year being a fundamental program that all art and design students would take. The year culminated in a portfolio evaluation, and we would apply to the graphic design program. Of the nearly 250 students who applied, a mere 60 would be accepted into the Graphic Design program. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the program even though I had NEVER taken an art class in high school, barely knew what graphic design was, and didn’t really think about what I would be ‘when I grew up!’
Fast forward through my four years at Iowa State, I realized that, even though I loved design, I was still searching for something more. I enjoyed the creative process, but I also wanted to talk to people, discover what they were passionate about, and make the greatest impact on the world as possible. I talked to a career counselor and discovered that marketing and entrepreneurship lined up with my passions, but my graphic design program was so rigorous that I couldn’t really add more classes into my schedule, (well…let’s get serious…I didn’t want to add more classes that would negatively impact my social life!). Plus, I wanted to graduate in four years and participate in a semester-long program in Rome. So, I stayed the course, went to Rome, finished my classes, and graduated in four years.
As reality would have it, the graphic design employment climate of 2004 was awful. I applied for jobs in eight big cities throughout the Midwest, I was flown by jet to downtown Kansas City to interview with Hallmark, my dad drove me to the suburbs of Chicago, and I fell in love with LL Bean in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. But, like the other places I applied for, I got a big fat denial from all of them. 60 applications, 16 interviews, and one job offer later, I landed at the Des Moines Register Custom Publishing department in downtown Des Moines.
My role as a graphic designer at the Des Moines Register escalated in my first six months of employment and I soon became their art director. While I spit out 100 publications in my first year, I quickly realized that although I loved design, this wasn’t for me. I wanted to do more, I wanted to BE more, and I wanted to have a greater impact on society. So, I tried applying for other jobs in marketing, which would allow me to further my experience. But another 20 applications later, NOTHING! No one would even look at me for a marketing job when I had a graphic design degree.
After two years at the Register, I realized I had to make a change. I was getting burnt out (and I had only just begun). I had a lot of moments where I’d ask myself ‘what do I really want to be?’. I thought back to when people would ask me what I wanted to do, and I’d say, “own a business and make a difference for my community.” It wasn’t really what I wanted to ‘BE’ but rather ‘what impact I wanted to make’.
My next move forever changed the course of my life. I reached out to ISU to see if I could take a few classes to finish my entrepreneurial studies minor so I could be ‘prepared’ to launch my own business. I found myself signing up for the Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program. This was likely the most pivotal point of my career (besides launching my own business). I took classes on nights and weekends, in addition to working full-time, getting married, and starting a family. And I discovered more than I ever knew I needed. I was given the tools, education, and networking relationships I would need to last me a lifetime and set me on a course for success.
I graduated with my MBA from Iowa State in May 2009, and although I didn’t go right into starting my own business (that was seven years later), it gave me the insight I needed to look at business, communities, and economic development with a strategic eye and understand the many factors that impact and go in to running a successful business or organization.
As I look back now, I consider the “design process” that is the same of an engineer: research, process development, product development, design, supervision, sales, consulting, and teaching, that truly impacted my choice of college major and ultimate career path.
So, just remember to:
- Consider the skills/talents you have and how you can use those in a career!
- Trust the process. Learn what you can from every experience you have and make moves when the timing is right.
- Never take a job just for the pay.
- Don’t settle. If you’re bored, burnt out, or aren’t being challenged, make a change. You have one life to live, so make the most of it.
- Have faith, you’re not the author anyways, so trust what God has in store for your life! You might actually realize that His plans are better than you could have ever imagined.
Katie’s College Experience
Opposite of Shelly, I was born a Hawkeye and knew I was going to the University of Iowa since I was little. (You could say I was brainwashed at an early age to live and breathe black and gold)! My parents were both Iowa grads, we were season ticket holders to football games, and trips to Iowa City were the norm for our family.
When my junior year of high school came around, I was dead set on attending Iowa, but my parents still made me visit other schools. I didn’t understand why since I knew exactly what I wanted, but looking back, I get it. Even if you think you know where you want to go, I highly encourage you to visit a variety of schools because it will help open your eyes to what you do and don’t like. This is not only coming from personal experience but from someone who worked as an Admissions Counselor, helping students make their college decisions. Plus, there’s no harm in getting a day off school for a college visit, right?
So, I visited Buena Vista University (foreshadowing?), a small school about an hour from home. It was great, but I decided it was too small and too close to home for me. Then I visited another state university that just so happened to be Iowa’s biggest rival, you know what I’m getting at. I admit that I didn’t exactly have the most open mind during that visit, but putting my loyalty to the Hawkeyes aside, it just didn’t feel like home to me. (That and when I got out of the car that morning on our way to the admissions office, I noticed a University of Iowa car parked right next to us. So, I took that as a sign. Maybe my dad planted it there, who knows)! Long story short, I accepted my spot at the University of Iowa and then had the daunting task of choosing a major.
Up until high school I pictured myself as an actress, but as I got older, I figured I should choose a more realistic profession. I still loved acting and enjoyed being in school plays and musicals, but I also loved to write, tell stories, and meet new people. I took college speech my senior year of high school and after giving a speech one day, I remember our professor telling me that I was a natural storyteller and should consider broadcast journalism. I took that to heart and looked into it. I ended up declaring a double major in Journalism and Mass Communications and Theatre so I could get the best of both worlds.
Flash forward to the first semester of my sophomore year of college, I remember sitting in one of my theatre classes when a realization hit me. Theatre was not the path for me, it was more of a hobby that I enjoyed on the side, not something I wanted to pursue as a career. So instead of wasting my time spending the rest of the semester in classes I wasn’t passionate about I dropped the Theatre major and added a Human Relations minor. I had taken several classes in the field up to that point and loved them and knew they would be beneficial in my professional and personal life.
Since I had more time to dedicate to my Journalism major, I joined the TV side of The Daily Iowan (DITV, the university’s student-run newspaper and TV station). I gained valuable experience as a news reporter, producer, anchor, and eventually became the Sports Director. This sparked my love for the sports world and led me to declare a Sport and Recreation Management minor. Meanwhile, I was asked to become a Student Ambassador for the Journalism School where I met with prospective students, gave tours, spoke on panels about the major and my experiences, and planned networking events for students. This role, along with my participation in the Public Relations Student Society of America club (PRSSA) led me to become interested in marketing, event planning, and public relations.
The summer before my senior year of college I worked as a marketing intern for Goodwill of the Heartland and loved it. I was still working for DITV in sports and as a Student Ambassador for the Journalism School. I was starting to feel like I was doing all sorts of different things and needed to pick one that I would do forever as a career. After I graduated in 2017, I moved home and applied for countless jobs. I ended up accepting a job in Admissions at Buena Vista University (crazy how I ended up here eventually!) and working towards my master’s degree in Organizational Leadership.
A few months before COVID hit, Shelly and I were connected and before I knew it, I became a Creative Specialist for Emerge Marketing. Being able to combine my passions of videography, writing, storytelling, creativity, helping others, and working for a faith-based organization with similar morals and values was more than I could ask for. I always thought I’d end up working for a big marketing agency in a city like Des Moines or Kansas City, and almost did, because I thought that’s what I should do. Boy am I glad I didn’t cave and do what I thought was expected of me. The experiences and relationships I have gained from the path I took are invaluable and irreplaceable and have led me to where I am today, something I would never change.
Moral of my story, I encourage you to keep these things in mind:
- Stay open minded
- Give yourself options
- Go with your gut
- Get as much experience as possible
- Don’t sell yourself short
- Let your values and morals guide you
- Remember that everything happens for a reason
Claire’s Career Path Decision
At my core, I am a very indecisive person. It takes me a bit to make a simple decision and usually requires some input from those around me. So, when it came to deciding about my future… yikes. I remember making it to the spring semester of my senior year of high school and I still hadn’t decided a route to take in college. I had thankfully decided where I’d be attending school, the University of Northern Iowa, but not before many months of college visits and pros & cons lists. What I hadn’t decided was what my major would be or what career path I saw myself going down. My parents were my go-to counsel at the time, helping me make these decisions. I remember my mom asking me, “what’s your favorite subject in school? Which class do you look forward to the most each day? Which class will you be sad is over after graduation?” My answers were art.
It never occurred to me that I could actually do something creative with my life! I didn’t see myself as an artist, but I knew that if I could use my creativity, I would enjoy what I was doing. So, I declared graphic design as my major at UNI. Little did I know I’d be diving into the world of art history, color theory, drawing, painting, and 3-D art upon my first year at college. I didn’t think I was cut out for doing art full-time because of the talent that was surrounding me. In fact, I even considered changing my major at the time, but I stuck it out and made it to my design courses.
Along the way, I ended up declaring a minor in entrepreneurship. I loved the idea of turning my love for creativity into a business and serving other business owners with my love for design. I wanted to create for them and educate others on how design could leverage their business. I started my own brand design business during my junior year of college, designing logos for small businesses. I connected with the John Papa John Entrepreneurship center and club at UNI, which was a great experience hearing how others run and market their businesses. While at UNI, I also got a job at the University Relations office, where I was getting to design internal and external marketing content for the University. More great experience getting to design in-house (and fun to see my work displayed around campus)!
Upon graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, I took a full-time position with UNI for the summer and got in touch with Shelly at Emerge Marketing Solutions. When I pictured myself graduating college, 1. I thought I was going to feel much more qualified and prepared than how I did feel. I quickly realized you learn so much more by experience, asking questions, and surrounding yourself with like-minded people than you sometimes do in the classroom. And 2. I saw myself in a corporate office in some big city. Maybe Des Moines, maybe Minneapolis. After (what felt like) the never-ending job search, I quickly accepted the position as a graphic designer at Emerge Marketing where I get to work every day with a small team of smart, driven, and passionate ladies from the comfort of my home.
It may not be what I pictured for myself when I was a senior in high school, but I know it’s exactly where I am supposed to be at this point in my life. My advice if you’re at the stage of life where you’re having to make big life decisions, would be this:
- Tap into your favorite skillsets. What is your favorite class? What things are you most passionate about and how can you turn that into your career?
- Know that life might not always turn out how you pictured it, but it may even be better than you can imagine!
- Stick it out, especially on the days where you are feeling unqualified. On those days, learn something from the people around you.
