by Katie Harris

So… I’m graduating in December.

I look thrilled about it in the picture above, but pictures lie. I’m pretty terrified. I’ve been asked countless times THE QUESTION:

“So, Katie, what are you going to do when you graduate in December?”

And honestly, I’m not entirely sure. A lot is still up in the air at this point! I’m only 21! I don’t even know what city I want to live in! But, there are some things I do know about my future, and in this blog post, I’m going to go through those (mostly to make myself feel better!).

I love Public Relations. This may sound cheesy, but since my first Principles of Public Relations class my sophomore year, I knew PR is what I wanted to do. I’ve always loved writing, but I figured a writing-based career wouldn’t be realistic… until I dove into the PR world. I love planning, I love creating content for a brand I believe in.

I want to start at an agency. Ultimately, I think doing in-house PR/communications is where I want to land. But, starting out at an agency will allow me to dip my toes into every aspect of PR/communications that I can find. I also think learning to write for different clients’ audiences will help expand my writing skills. Somebody once told me that working at an agency is like “PR dog years”, and I need all kinds of client experiences under my belt.

I’m getting better at social media. Social media is weird, y’all. It’s taken me a long time (and many, many posts) to figure out tone/level of casual-ness/how to do everything, but I *think* I’m getting better at it. Currently, I’m taking a Social Media Analytics class, and I’m actually really enjoying it. I’m also doing all the social media right now for our PRSSA chapter here at Belmont and I’m loving it so far. All I can say is, God bless Canva.

I love the sports industry. If you know me, you know I’m a rabid sports fan. I think more about my fantasy teams than pretty much anything else. Interning for the Nashville Predators my sophomore year was a total dream. I’d love to get back to work in the sports industry…but, with COVID, we all learned that sports and entertainment are the first things to go in a pandemic.

I’ve got some really valuable earned media experience. You need a pitch? Gimme an hour, and I’ll get it done. Press release? Can do. Media list? Tell me the topic, and I’ll get you a big list. I feel like I’ve gotten the most experience in earned media in my internships, which has been super valuable. And, I’ve gotten some great help from professors and mentors on fine-tuning pitches and press releases over the last couple of years.

I actually am pretty excited to graduate. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved my time at Belmont. I’ve made so many amazing friends and my professors have been so welcoming and helpful, even in the weirdest of times. I feel confident that I’m prepared for the real world (most of the time).

So… I hope that answers the big question. Wish me luck!

 

*This post was originally posted to Katie’s personal blog which can be found here