Written by: Cosme Lozano

                Recently I had the privilege to accept a new job opportunity. It all started out as an internship, but after talking with the manager, it surprisingly turned into employment. I got offered a job in my field of interest (audio and video media), all while in the city I want to work in after I graduate; Chicago. For my job, I will be running the board at the station, and working with the on air talent. This all incredibly exciting but also nerve racking.

 In what feels like the wave of a wand, I have entered the workforce all while still as a student, and boy can it be intimidating. In my first week, I worked three days for seven hours each shift. What I learned early on is that everyone is always doing something. If you have downtime or are not doing anything productive, find something productive to do. Additionally, I have also been learning to be more independent and to trust myself. As someone who has never worked in this kind of atmosphere before, I realized early on that people do not have time to always help you out with everything. At first, I was pretty scared to mess up. I am not going to lie. This feeling did not linger long though, as eventually I regained my confidence and trust in myself. The key is to just remind yourself that a lot of the stuff you’re doing, you learned or did in your classes. Remember all the work you did, use it, and apply it to your situation.

One part of the job that I have really enjoyed is the employees. Learning about my fellow co-workers and my bosses, and where they came from has been really fun to hear. These are all people that were in my same position at some point in their lives, and they undoubtedly have a lot of knowledge that I can learn from. I have also enjoyed the experiences and people I have worked with through the job. Whether that be through guests that come on, or through problem solving, it has all been exciting and great new experiences for me.

For people that also want to work in the media, or just find employment in general, I highly advise that you get as much practical experience as you can in college before you go out and apply. If I think about my situation and how I got here, without a doubt doing all the little jobs and tasks in college helped me. They were opportunities for me to expand my knowledge and expertise, and it also provided me something to put on my resume. I know not everyone wants to do it, but find jobs within your major or on campus and do them! You never really know what doors they may open…

For my final thoughts on the matter, I want to say that I am very appreciative. I am appreciative I even have the job in the first place, but I am also appreciative that USF prepared me well for the task. Like I said above, I was nervous at first, but that did not say for long. When looking ahead, I really do not know what the future has in store for me. I am completely ok with this, and in part I enjoy this sense of the unknown. I am at the start of this great adventure and I am eager to see where it will take me! My advice for everyone is to keep working hard and to always believe in yourself. I know that is pretty cliché, but it is true advice. If you know what you want, work for it and go get it. Make the sacrifices and go get yours. It’s your life and you have to decide how you want to spend it. As Red would say in one of my all-time favorite movies, Shawshank Redemption, “Get busy living”. Get busy living and make the future you want for yourself.