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Below are a series of events I chose to take part in as a career building exercise. I believe these experiences will help me on my path towards becoming a professional creative writer and video game journalist. This is just what I took part in over the course of a single semester. These samples showcase various types of useful resources that can be found in university settings, geared towards assisting students with pursuing their desired careers.

Event 1 – KSU Internship & Co-op Info Session

In the wake of the 2020-2021 epidemic, my options were limited to remote events. This info session, hosted by the Career Center at Kennesaw State University, was selected in place of a full workshop, but still served as an excellent source of foundational information. The information included where and how to start applying for co-op’s and internships, how one can acquire college credit through these opportunities, and what resources are available to aid career building. The career advisor, Allie Johnson, hosted the event through Microsoft Teams. She utilized a PowerPoint to provide a supplementing visual element to the info session, and encouraged interaction from the students with polls, discussions, and sharing of interests. Ultimately, the goal was to inform, providing college level students with the tools to start finding their foothold in their chosen profession. Additionally, Ms. Johnson proved to be a friendly, patient, and responsive source of information and encouragement. Direct follow-up emails and questions were answered promptly, and she did inform us that we can always reach out to her and the Career Center with further questions.

Personally, this event proved to be a valuable and memorable experience for me, despite its remote nature. Not only did it provide me with useful knowledge, it served to improve my confidence in my ability to continue building my career. I was exposed to several resources I was previously unaware of. I was also able to learn a few new important tips about resume building and networking resources, including Handshake and LinkedIn. I was also exposed to the tools and processes behind earning college credit for participating in a co-op or internship, including the course application process available through Handshake. This will serve as an important foundation for my career building efforts.

Event 2 – KSU Interview Workshop

This is yet another remote event hosted by the Career Center at Kennesaw State University, this time with a focus on preparing participants for job interviews, a critical stage of job acquisition. The information shared during this session is yet another part of the foundation of career building. The event took place on Microsoft Teams, and was organized and hosted by Amanda Long, Kirstie Colin, and a few other advisors and representatives from the Career Center of KSU. A PowerPoint was again utilized to provide a visual element, and there were events designed to engage the workshop participants. The organizers and presenters were all responsive, supportive, friendly, patient, and engaging. They successfully kept our interest as they provided us with the tools to ready ourselves for stepping up as members of the workforce.

This event was valuable to me due to the slew of new information I had learned. Although I had successfully interviewed for jobs in the past, there were a number of new strategies taught that will improve my chances of success in the field. The first thing to be stressed was the real reason behind these interviews, that being for employers and potential employees to evaluate each other. We were informed that we should prepare before heading to a job interview, not just by dressing appropriately, but by researching the associated company and the job position we will be interviewing for. Other preparations mentioned included “psychological priming” exercises to reduce anxiety before an interview, positive interaction with other prospective employees if they are waiting in the same area you are, and preparing questions to ask the employer about the job. And yet, one strategy in particular that really stood out to me was the idea of making a “job match” chart to compare my skills to those companies are looking for in positions I may be considering. The strategies I already knew of were improved upon in this workshop, and the new ones I learned will be instrumental for all of my future job seeking endeavors.

Event 3: Career Advising with Holly Sedys

This event was a critical stage in my career pursuits. Although it was short, my first meeting with Miss Sedys was instrumental in expanding my career pursuit options. This meeting took place remotely on Microsoft Teams, and this time involved a one-on-one video chat discussion. The purpose of the meeting was to help me learn of new avenues I could pursue in the fields of Video Game Journalism, and Writing for Video Games, fields that are highly competitive at the moment, yet lucrative prospects that would make use of my ever developing writing skills. Several options were discussed for scouting out potential internship positions to start out, not excluding reaching out directly to recruiters associated with video game companies. Miss Sedys herself proved to be informative, responsive, friendly, and encouraging throughout the entire meeting, and I look forward to our future discussions about other potential career options.

This event proved to be exceedingly valuable to me thanks to the tools and options provided during our meeting. Among them were links to sites listing ways to become a game journalist, and game companies in my home state of Georgia. Other tools and methods discussed included using LinkedIn to directly search for jobs with companies that have my interest, and using the same site to identify and reach out to these companies’ associated recruiters should positions not be visible. Expressing interest with the recruiters directly appears to be a great way to draw positive attention, and make yourself more likely to be considered for an internship position. It was also reinforced for me how to apply for college credit with any internships I’m able to land with a little more detail. These resources will be among the first I utilize to explore jobs within my field of interest, and which are most likely to utilize and enhance my developing writing skillset.