Kevin Sweeney

When you were a student, did you do anything outside of school to build skills or get knowledge that has helped your career?

When I was in college, I wanted to be a sports journalist. I looked for opportunities to make myself stand out to prospective employers once I would look to enter the workforce. I found that the college student newspaper afforded me such an avenue. I began as a sports writer for the publication and eventually made my way to Sports Editor by my Senior year. Through this invaluable work, I networked and connected with some other sports journalists covering my school and those connections helped me land my first part-time writing and eventually full time editing position at a regional newspaper. Not only was my writing, editing and interviewing experience enhanced by working for my school newspaper, but I actually made a few bucks as well once I moved up the chain! Very modest money, but a college kid will take it! So my advice would be just don't take the classes (though important) but look for something you can do to get semi-real-world experience. Employers appreciate this initiative. Doing it for free to start is sometimes a prerequisite (I wasn't paid when I started as a staff writer) and you have to do your work pro-bono at first to reap the rewards later in my opinion. I have gone on to continue my work in the editing space, embracing the times in the Web management and publishing arena. A lot of my path was built on my choices during my collegiate years. Make the most of the opportunities out there, and if you are unsure of what to look for (no matter your major), ask your professors for their advice about prospective directions for you to head. Your career will thank you for it!