COURSE SUMMARY

AS I BEGAN A NEW SEMESTER FOR SPRING 22, I DOVE INTO NEW MEDIA INDUSTRIES WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT I WOULD LEARN SOMETHING NEW. WHAT I WASN'T EXPECTING WAS HOW I WOULD. THE MOST UNIQUE PART ABOUT IT WAS HOW NON-TRADITIONAL AND TEXTBOOK-FREE THE OVERALL ENVIRONMENT WAS. THE DIRECTOR OF THE CERTIFICATE, MEGAN WARD, SET THE TONE ON DAY ONE THAT OUR CLASS WAS NOT GOING TO BE ANY ORDINARY CLASS- RATHER, SHE WAS OUR BOSS, AND WE WERE HER EMPLOYEES. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A FUN TWIST ON HOW TO TEACH COLLEGE STUDENTS, AND I QUICKLY SAW HOW BENEFICIAL IT IS TO IMPLEMENT THIS STYLE OF TEACHING TODAY.

WHILE THERE WAS FREEDOM FROM STUDYING FOR QUIZZES AND EXAMS, OTHER STUDENTS AND I WERE STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR MONTHLY "PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSIGNMENTS" AND ATTENDING CLASS ON A WEEKLY BASIS. THIS PUSHED ME TO FOCUS ON MY TIME MANAGEMENT AND NOT FALL INTO PROCRASTINATING. WHAT MOTIVATED ME TO PRACTICE THESE THINGS WAS THE GRADING SCALE. OTHER THAN MY FIRST-YEAR ODESSEY SEMINAR FROM FRESHMAN YEAR, I HAVE NOT DEALT WITH THE PRESSURES OF PASS/FAIL AS OFTEN AS A GRADE LETTER.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS I GAINED FROM A GUEST SPEAKER WAS THAT

"EVERY PERSON HAS THEIR OWN DEFINITION OF SUCCESS- YOU JUST HAVE TO FIND YOURS."

I LEARNED A LOT FROM THIS STATEMENT ALONE, AS IT BROKE DOWN WALLS OF UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS I PLACED ON MYSELF AND MY FUTURE. MY DEFINITION OF SUCCESS ULTIMATELY BOILS DOWN TO DOING WHAT I LOVE, HELPING OTHERS, AND HAVING ENOUGH INCOME TO SUPPORT MYSELF. MANY SPEAKERS HIGHLIGHTED THEIR BALANCE BETWEEN WORK LIFE AND PERSONAL LIFE AS WELL, WHICH IS SOMETHING I WILL KEEP IN MIND FOR THE FUTURE. AS A WHOLE, THE NEW MEDIA INDUSTRIES HAS BETTER EQUIPPED ME FOR MY PROFESSIONAL GOALS BY ENCOURAGING ME TO WORK HARD, BE MYSELF AND HAVE FUN!