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Mentorship July 6, 2018
This writing mentorship was so much more than just writing.
There’s so much more to modern journalism than just writing. Nowadays writers are expected to have an array of skill sets besides grammar and spelling. There’s an expectation for writers to be skilled in fields like photography, SEO, graphic design and social media work. It’s a lot.
Luckily, the ENTITY Academy SEO Boot Camp was a great way for me to learn the ins and outs of the industry and to gain the necessary skills I’ll need for a future career. As much as my time at ENTITY was about the experience and the people, it was also about gaining skills and learning. It was about becoming marketable. Here are three of the main skills I acquired during my time at the ENTITY Academy SEO Boot Camp.
As our SEO manager once imparted to us, “it doesn’t matter how good your article is if no one ever reads it” That sentiment rings true in an era of internet writing. The World Wide Web is flooded with so many kinds of content and writing that it’s almost impossible to have your work read without some form of search engine optimization and/or social media promotion. No one will be able to find it.
Learning SEO during the ENTITY Academy SEO Boot Camp taught me what it takes to create and put forward content that’ll actually get read. What makes an article rank on Google and what goes into SEO? In a world where internet journalism is becoming the predominant form of media, search engine optimization is a super important skill to have in the field of writing.
Graphic design can make a brand. It adds something extra to an article or a website and it’s a great way to stay relevant on social media. Little graphics, drawings or cartoons add to the work and are more eye-catching than a stock photo.
I never saw myself as a graphic designer and I still don’t, but I’ve learned so much about graphic design in my time here and I feel that it’s really added to my skill set. I got training in Adobe Photoshop, Indesign and XD, among other programs, and I’ve learned how to create the kinds of graphics might kill it on social media (including the illustration of Trump above). I’m coming out of this program with a skill that I never thought I would have and it’s going to make me more attractive to future employers.
Regardless of how much older generations like to jab at social media, it’s becoming a predominant way we share information. If you want to work for a media company, it’s super important to be well-versed in that world. Social media creates connections, exposure and allows you to share your content.
While the great thing about social media is that it’s so widely accessible, successfully running a social media platform for a brand or a website isn’t nearly as easy as posting on your personal account. Social media packaging is a skill and like SEO, there’s a lot that goes into curating content that’ll be seen. With the rise of jobs that now center around social media management, I feel like I could succeed thanks to what I learned.
I knew that I could write, but knowing that I also now have basic skills in design, social media and SEO ensures I’ll have a better chance finding a job in this crowded industry. I’m not sure what my life holds, but I know I’m more prepared.
