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Mentorship January 15, 2019
Surviving in the workplace is a lot more than knowing how to navigate Photoshop.
ENTITY Academy taught me how to optimize an article for SEO and how to create the perfect logo with Illustrator. But it went well beyond that. I built connections and friendships to last and gained confidence in my work. The Academy may have made me a more marketable person, but it made me a better person too.
Having graduated from college and struggled in finding my career, I stumbled upon ENTITY Academy a little lost. And I knew that the biggest deadline was fast approaching: the end of the internship. At the end of August, I would be thrust back into the world of unemployment and the uncertainties of not knowing where I was headed next. It took a lot for me to step out of my shell, but I approached our manager and mentor Angelica to just talk.
We talked about the struggles of not knowing who I am. It all originates from there, the struggles of not being able to decide on a path or being unsure if you’re on the right one. I had always been one to shoulder my worries on my own but it was through this internship that I realized the strength of relying on a mentor.
And the most important lesson I learned was that I was more than a writer. Angelica pointed out to me that I was limiting myself to just words, that I was a storyteller and stories come in all shapes and sizes. It came in graphic design and photos, in social media and Instagram posts. It was this conversation that gave me the courage to search for my career path, not just the next job.
There were people from all over in this internship. Some fellow ENTITY Academy interns had traveled across the country in order to be here. There were interns from Brown and others struggling to find their career path just like me. I made a friend from Virginia and learned just how narrow my world perspectives were. It was a chance to mingle and learn with people who had walked different lives than I had.
Connections are everything in the business world. Despite having a rambunctious personality, I’ve always struggled with being shy. It’s been here that I’ve seen what connections can really do for someone. Not only in finding jobs or making your way into your dream industry but the lessons that you can learn. Forcing myself to talk to others about their experiences has taught me more about myself and my future than I ever could have learned on my own.
Not only have I been shy about meeting people, but I’ve been shy about my work. Despite writing since I was in elementary school, I’ve never had the confidence to show it off. I never believed that the things that I created in Photoshop or the stories I wrote were up to professional standards. The most important skill that I’ve learned at ENTITY Academy is the confidence to not sell myself short.
Breaking my habits of shutting down and hiding wasn’t easy. It was terrifying to submit my first article or stand in front of a crowd and pitch my ideas. I struggled when my ideas were shot down or times when my article just wasn’t up to par. It was all of these ups and downs that gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams though.
I’m now set on the path to pursue the dreams and career I want. I never believed I could make it in the highly competitive creative field because I didn’t have the confidence in myself or my abilities. More than anything, ENTITY has taught me how to believe in myself and chase the dreams I’ve always admired from afar.
