Something that I’ve struggled with during my time in the SOJC is finding the confidence to decide what I want to do in the industry. I know I want to be here. Each discussion, each guest speaker, and each agency visit just gives me more assurance that this is an industry that I am passionate about, and that I would thrive in. What I struggle with, however, is my hesitancy to commit to a certain designation. When I came to school I was a declared English major. I loved to write, and I was confident in my ability. During my freshman year I learned that my skill wasn’t my passion. I craved to create, and that’s why I switched to advertising so I could pursue the major in a design role.
To be honest, I’m going through that process of reinvention again, right now. I’m not confident I want to commit myself to art direction/design. There’s this constant sinking feeling that if you’re not doing the most amazing thing, right now, the entire trajectory of your future is in danger and you’re a failure before you’ve even tried. As a senior with only 4 more weeks left of her collegiate career, it feels like it’s too late.
That’s where this trip has already given me a lot of confidence. We’ve heard the different perspectives and stories from people in advertising. Their stories, and the differences between them, give me hope that things will work out, so long as I work hard and I don’t let up. Some of them worked their tails off in undergrad so that they could be prepared to get those badass internships in NYC. Some of them struggled to make ends meet when they made those big moves (slept on couches, air mattresses, a friend of a friends closet-sized second bedroom). Some of them didn’t even know they would end up in advertising at all. Others were like me: they didn’t know what they wanted to do, or how they were going to do it, they just knew they had potential and a love for the industry. A lot of them are strong, powerful, confident women.
The talent in this school is unmeasured. It’s hard not to compare yourself to the 100+ amazing students we have among us here in NYC. After the first day of this trip, speaking with the inspiring women of Flock and the people of Wieden+Kennedy, I feel reassured that the fear of the unknown is part of the journey. There’s not a script for life, and there’s a reason we’re all here.
-Audrey Weatherhead