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Mentorship May 5, 2020
These are skills every professional needs but doesn't know it.
When I was first offered a spot for a women-focused digital magazine internship, I was hesitant. Not because I would be a man in a room full of women, but because I was not sure if I had what it took to stay consistent in the program. Fortunately, I got out of my comfort zone and did it anyway. The hard skills I have gained at ENTITY Academy have given me the resilience to establish my career and overcome any obstacle.
During my initial interview with ENTITY Academy, the staff was honest. They shared that if I chose to attend, the expectations would be high. After a weekend of thinking, I realized I wanted to grow by getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. I accepted the spot the following Monday. Looking back, I am so glad I did!
As part of the Writer’s Collective, I knew I was going to learn many things. I was very excited to learn about the hard skills in the program, namely SEO and design. Since I graduated from college (UC Irvine class of 2016 woot woot!), I had seen firsthand what graduates have been saying when it comes to job competition.
When I searched through job listings on Indeed and Monster.com, it seemed like they wanted you to know Adobe, Excel, and the name of every teacher you’ve had since kindergarten. With more job competition, graduates have to hustle a lot more to have a sustaining career. Thankfully, the curriculum at ENTITY Academy would make sure I have that career within reach.
Our curriculum covered everything from social media packaging to journalism research. During the first half of the program, our mentors introduced us to the art of writing. We created articles on WordPress that were published on ENTITY’s digital magazine.
The other half of the program focused on creating style guides and working on graphic design. We customized resumes to reflect our unique brand. This was significantly challenging. I took notes, made PowerPoints, and wrote multiple articles. I was now applying my digital marketing skills to short-term projects.
As we learned about online communication, we were then expected to put what we learned into practice. Aside from writing articles on keyword topics for WordPress, I also designed a personalized style guide as a marketing tool. This included everything from a color palette to a mood board. I learned how this applied to graphic design, as it was the basis for my custom resume.
After working on resumes, we learned about the art of website design. I got to make an actual website using the platform Wix. Wix allows people to design their own, user-friendly site. My website highlighted who I am, what my story is, and what I can do for you.
I used strategies including, branding, keywords, and call-to-action widgets. We demonstrated our new knowledge of graphic design, showing others our contributions through our ENTITY Mag articles.
We topped off this program by forming groups to develop a real paid marketing plan to present in front of the ENTITY Academy staff. My group took on the challenge with determination. Our project focused on the idea of creating a clothing app. The app let you take a photo of clothes you like most and then told you all the information you need about it. Some examples included where to purchase, name, designer, etc.
Using the hard skills gained at ENTITY Academy, such as PowerPoint, Adobe, and Canva, allowed all us mentees to make a presentation that the ENTITY staff was impressed by.
Due to the activities that I did throughout this program, I became sure of myself professionally. These skills give me an advantage while applying to an entry-level job or career.
Being one of the few men in this program also expanded my knowledge about women in the workplace. This program showed me how supportive they are to work with. Gender is not a factor at ENTITY Academy. We are all people coming together to be the very best versions of ourselves. We are people that do.
