A group of Juniata students were recently given an opportunity by the career center to attend a Creative Careers Seminar being held at Carnegie Mellon University.  Deborah Hosking, the featured keynote speaker at the seminar, is a media professional and artist whose career has crossed continents, disciplines and media.  Available panels for students to choose from included Advertising & Marketing, Arts Management, Design/Architecture & Multimedia, Film & Broadcast Media, Independent Arts, Public Relations, and Writing & Publishing.  Each panel featured several professionals who were able to give students an insiders’ perspectives on their industries as well as first-hand stories and advice. At the end of the seminar, students were able to network with the professionals, providing a chance to exchange business cards and the like.  Juniata attendees give their take on the Creative Careers Seminar:

Corey Lacey ’14, Baltimore, Md.: “I loved the conference. I thought that it was amazing, and I learned so much from the panels. It gave me a lot of information for public relations, and I really want to find an internship this summer in it. I would love to go again.”

Allison Blumling ’14, Hershey, Pa.: “I really enjoyed the career fair; it was a good opportunity to meet professionals who are thriving in creative fields.  I got a lot of advice regarding professional schools too.”

Chelsea Wilson ’13, Gwynn Oak, Md.: “I enjoyed hearing about career options, everything from writing and publishing to marketing. The message I took away was that it is okay to not know what you want to do in the future; I just need to keep moving and my career will come to me.”

Sarah Erdely ’12, Pittsburgh, Pa.: “Going to the Creative Careers Seminar at CMU was a great experience. It was very informative, and I feel very motivated to start my career search. They had a great variety of companies, and you could feel their passion they have for their jobs. Getting to listen to their advice and stories really provided some great insight into the professional world. Some things I took away from it were: “be open to randomness,” “seize the opportunity,” “you don’t always know an important thing when you are in the middle of it,” and “it’s all about the journey.”

Benson Canfield ’12, Littleton, N.H.: “Personally, I didn’t get a whole lot out of it. But I can say that it was very interesting, and it gave me a lot of insight to hear what the different panelists agreed and disagreed on in terms of success in their field.”

–Jenny Wang ’12, Juniata Online Journalist