We Are Next: The Advice ADV Students Want To Hear
I attended a speaker session in the fall where Natalie Kim spoke about her experience starting off in the advertising industry. She shared some stories, advice, a little biography – the things you expect from a speaker. She also provided a little help with something that many students (from any major) might not think about until we’ve missed the starting gun: a job plan instead of a job hunt. I think there’s a distinct difference between planning where you will seek a job and embarking on the typical job hunt. I have searched through LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster, and all the typical places where companies post a ‘Help Wanted’ sign and then sift through thousands of applicants – that’s job hunting. Job planning is when you know what you want before going into your deep dive, searching for the indicators that are most important to you. For example, it’s helpful knowing whether you want to work in a specific city or whether you’ll work anywhere if it’s for a company on your short-list.
My main point
Natalie went through the ideal factors of job planning with many additional indicators, but what I took away most from her talk was her weekly podcast: We Are Next.
I love podcasts. You can learn something new for free, while you’re on-the-go, with no limit in topics. Give them a try. Her podcast specifically has been enlightening for me this winter, as she includes a speaker session from people all over the advertising field every week. Every guest comes from an interesting background, most of which work at agencies that any ADV student has heard of. Many of them are younger talent in the industry, so they remember what students are going through. Some of them are even Orange natives, like Leo Wong (SU ADV graduate, Droga5 account executive, and one of 4A’s “people who make advertising great”).
Why you will enjoy it
The best part about We Are Next is that Natalie Kim offers helpful advice catered specifically to advertising students. The podcast guests come from nearly every career path imaginable in the industry, each with their own challenges and motivations. It’s likely that any advertising student or younger professional will understand the exact perspective of at least one of her guests. You will see yourself in some of these people, and who better to give you advice than a future version of you!
She does a great job of making students feel more comfortable and confident in navigating the toughest part of their careers: the beginning part. If you’re an advertising student, a prospective student, or even if you are simply curious about the industry after the “Mad Men” years, please check out her podcast and website. It’s so nice to have guidance in a field where I believed the student-base was too niche for any professional to dedicate their career to. There’s help for those who seek it, let’s keep it that way.
