By Michelle McKenzie
Creating a career path after college is difficult considering how hard it is to get into the job market. However, college can give students opportunities to start building their careers before they graduate. At Northampton Community College, students can go to the Center for Career Development and apply for the job shadowing program. Students are offered a day of observing a worker in a job related to their major. This gives students the opportunity to see what the job is like and decide if it is something they are interested in. It can also lead to an internship which gives students even more experience.
My experience started in January when a group of students and I were accepted to go to Lehigh Valley Public Media and shadow the staff and experience, which is what we’re looking for in a dream job. We had seen where they filmed the political pulse and got to watch a live interview by Tom Shortell. Later, I met Hasanna Birdsong, the CEO. We talked about what I want to do in the future with my journalism degree. I told her I wanted to try marketing and communicate with more with people. In February I was invited by Hasanna to attend an event called Echoes of Freedom. The event highlighted African American history and contributions in the Lehigh Valley, and there were small Black-owned businesses invited to the event. I had the opportunity to speak with some of the owners and interview them about their businesses. I also took pictures and videos that could be used as content. This was exciting for me because I was not just watching other people work anymore; I was able to participate and create content myself.
After my job shadowing experience, I had the opportunity to continue at LVPM as an intern during the summer. Starting an internship was intimidating at first, but when I walked in, the environment was warm and welcoming. On my first day, I met the staff and they were interested in what I was studying at NCC and wished me luck. I also received a tour and my own desk. I met talented writers, reporters, and members of the marketing team like Hasanna ,who is now my mentor; Christopher Johannessen, the vice president of product; and Michelle Resto-Carlson, an operations leadership partner.
During my internship, I was able to work on different projects that helped me understand more about marketing and communication. One of the activities I worked on was making sure organizations had the correct information so that Lehigh Valley Public Media could contact them. This may seem like a small task, but I learned that having the right information is important when communicating with organizations. If contact information is incorrect or outdated, it can make it harder for people to reach each other. It also helped me become more careful with details and understand how important accurate information is when working in a professional environment.
Another activity I worked on was reviewing LVPM websites from the perspective of a visitor. I looked at how easy the website was to use, how the information was organized, and whether the website was appealing to viewers. This was one of the more interesting parts of my internship because I put myself in a viewer’s shoes and tried to replicate how they would feel when visiting the website for the first time. I realized that a website could have a big effect on how people view an organization. If a website is confusing or difficult to use, someone may leave without finding the information they were looking for.
This internship helped me become more comfortable in a professional environment. When I first started job shadowing in February, I was nervous because I did not know what to expect. As I continued going to LVPM and eventually became an intern, I became more comfortable asking questions, learning how to interact with people professionally, and sharing my ideas. I also became more confident when creating content and working on projects.
