Could my Alverno skills be paying off already?

As some of you may know, I've been looking for a new job. I've been waitressing at this restaurant for four years now, and I feel that it's time for me to move up from this entry level position. In my job search, I'd been trying to avoid positions in food service; I think I've had enough of it for the time being. I know I'll be moving towards an actual career when I begin my internship either this summer or fall, but I just need a transition between what I have now and what I will have. I wasn't aiming for it to be at all related to my field of study, but I wanted to take a step up from the kind of job any 16-year-old can walk into a restaurant and get.



Last Sunday, I saw an ad in the paper for open interviews for a new restaurant opening at Mitchell International. I figured that because I have experience in a restaurant setting, it wouldn't hurt to check it out and see what comes of it. I went to the hotel conference center, where the interviews were being held, to find that everything was happening in one large room. People would come in and fill out applications at one of the tables, then their names would be called one at a time for an interview with one of the two managers at either end of the room.

After I sat though an hour of listening to everyone else's extensive interviews, my name was called. My interview went surprisingly fast, but I was a little worried. Although she was friendly and seemed to like me, she didn't ask nearly as many questions as she did for others.

Lo and behold, I got a call Thursday to set up a second interview at the airport.

They always tell you to arrive early for interviews; I'm glad I did. The location had been changed, and I got to the correct place just in time.

Lisa, one of my interviewers, was already seated at the table. She shook my hand and asked me to sit. She looked over my application, and I offered her my resume. She looked happily surprised and looked over my resume, commenting on how she wishes all applicants would bring resumes; they're so much easier to read than applications.

"Oh! You're a Communications major! What do you want to do with that?"

I told her a bit about my coursework and my upcoming internship, and she went on about what a wide array of options Communications majors have. , Elizabeth, the other interviewer, arrived as we spoke, and the interview officially began. As they asked questions and I answered them, they seemed pleased with what I had to say.

The 15 minutes flew by. As I stood up to leave, shaking each woman's hand, one made the comment, "That's the best handshake I've had all day!"

I smiled to myself, thinking back to Amy Fritz's PPS 129. We gave considerable effort to choosing majors and careers, but we also practiced interview etiquette. One day, we introduced ourselves to one another, practicing a firm handshake and eye contact. It was funny at the time, but now I can tell that it was definitely a valuable lesson.

Now I'm beginning to see the practicality of everything I learned in that course. I hope that it will aid me in landing not only this job, but future jobs as well!

Until my phone rings, my fingers will be crossed.
(Cross yours for me too!)

One step closer to "real life"

Recently, I've been giving quite a bit of thought to what I'll do after graduation. When I chose to study Professional Communication, I didn't have a specific career path in mind. I'm working to narrow my options down to a more specific range of careers, which is becoming easier as I continue with my Professional Communication coursework.

The next step, besides registering for the next set of courses for the upcoming fall semester, is deciding on an internship. Internships are part of the curriculum here at Alverno, and I'm coming to the point in my education where an internship is essential. I'm ecstatic about being able to enter the field of work to get a realistic idea of what careers are available to me after graduation. A bachelor's degree in Professional Communication leaves my options wide open; I could do whatever I want, so to say.

This morning, I met with my advisor and instructor, Jill. We discussed some different internship options for me, and the real-life examples of what my degree can translate into really helped to get me in the right mindset. The most appealing idea at this point is to get an internship at a publication company. I enjoy writing, and to get a foot in the door with a publication company would make it much easier to build a career in that same field. We contacted editors at two Milwaukee-based publications to ask about internships; I hope to hear back from them soon.

I think I'll learn a lot from this experience, and I'm sure it'll take me in the right direction.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

All of my courses have something in common? You don't say!

This past week, I realized that the topics I'm studying this semester are all fitting together like pieces in a puzzle. On Sunday, my Advanced Media Studies class took a break from our work to visit the exhibit in the art gallery. Right now, the Underwood Foundation is showing a collection of photos taken in Vietnam, Namibia, and Uganda; the photos all told stories of the people that live in those countries. The gentleman that spoke to us stressed the importance of ethics in photography. Although a photograph shows what actually exists, it is up to the photographer to include or exclude people or things nearby that could change the viewer's perspective on what is in the photo. Words associated with a photo tell the subject's story to the viewer; the photographer must be careful not to tie any words to the picture that could be detrimental to the subject.

This semester, I'm taking a course in digital photography. At first, photography seems very simple, but as I pay closer attention to detail both in the way the photo is taken and the subject in the photo, I realize that there are more variables and more choices that I need to make. Especially when photographing people, I will need to keep in mind what role ethics plays in photography.

I'm also learning about ethics this semester in a broader sense. The course, Studies in Ethics, explores what is ethical and unethical in writing and media; the message itself could be true and important for the audience to hear, but if the means of conveying that message are unethical, the audience could be misled. The person sending the message must be mindful of this because he or she can lose credibility in the eyes of the audience.

This connects to yet another field of study I'm looking at through Advanced Media Studies. In this course, we're looking at how media has evolved over time and how we, the viewers, are affected by it.

Writing, of course, applies to ethics and media in many of the same ways. My entry, this time, refers to all of my courses, and there is only one I haven't mentioned.

My support area, which I wrote about previously, is in Spanish Language and Cultures. I'm working to become fluent in Spanish, and I'm making great progress, if I do say so myself. I'm open to the idea of writing in Spanish because although I'm unable to articulate my ideas as well in Spanish as in English, that would be my ultimate goal regarding a foreign language. Should I get to the point where I can write at a professional level in Spanish, all of these concepts of ethics and writing would apply as well.

By the end of this semester, I think I'll have a better feel for what I want to do with my degree or at least the application of what I'm learning to different career possibilities. These classes and the skills I'm learning are coming together more perfectly than I could've ever planned.

Grammar and Writing

My first writing assignment in PCM 300 is to create three advertising copies for the same item in order to target three different audiences.
I expect this to be good practice for possible job opportunities in the future. Based on what I've learned in previous courses, I've been able to improve my writing skills to achieve different effects and to tailor my message to be most effective for a specific audience.
Equally important is the grammar used in advertising copies and all other writing. I find that when I hear or see language being used incorrectly, that person instantly loses credibility in my eyes. A standard I hold for myself is to use words correctly in speech and writing and to obey grammar rules. This will be expected at a professional level as well, which is why I think it is a smart idea to review at a college level. Once people have learned grammar, they move on to the higher-level details of writing. Along the way, it is possible to forget some of the basics. Reviewing basic grammar pulls everything together and brings to the front of my mind concepts that I haven't thought of for a while.

About Me

My name is Thea Chojnacki, and I'm a 3rd year college student majoring in Professional Communication with a support in Spanish Language and Cultures. I love reading and writing as well as using computers as a different method of conveying a message through words and pictures. I chose my support area because I seek to become fluent in Spanish, which I believe will further my communication abilities so that I can work with an even broader range of people.
I currently work with other students on a one-on-one basis to work to help them improve their writing skills. I keep an open mind to different career options in the field of communications, but I enjoy creative writing and working with others to help them solve problems.