Simply put, the Vanderbilt on Madison Avenue trip was eye opening. Going into the trip, I felt that I had set my sights on a certain kind of profession in advertising. The trip did not change my sights on advertising; if anything, it increased my desire to pursue a career in that field. More importantly, I was exposed to a plethora of careers and fields that I had never previously considered or even thought about.
My favorite parts of the trip were when we directly networked and connected with Vanderbilt alumni, such as during the reception at Ogilvy & Mather and during the Day 2 lunches when I was able to meet with Eve Attermann. I usually feel incredibly awkward during networking reception type events, but at the networking reception at O & M, I felt very comfortable and really connected with Nicole Swink, a Vanderbilt alumni who majored in Piano Performance and is currently a freelance video editor. It felt very natural for me to talk to her and other alumni, and I had wished that we had more time to connect with alumni rather than sit in information sessions. I felt that the direct networking events really pushed me to try my best and utilize my skills to make meaningful conversation. It was not only good practice in networking, but it was also the real deal itself, and I felt that I learned more from alumnus’ stories than I did from the information sessions at different companies.
That does not mean I learned nothing from the information sessions; in fact, I learned incredibly valuable lessons from Brian Fetherstonhaugh at Ogilvy & Mather and everyone at Viacom. This was because we were learning their personal stories, successes and failures, and I realized another important lesson: there is no direct path in this industry. Everyone gets to where they are differently, whether it is intentional or on accident. This was perhaps the most valuable insight I gained from the entire trip, because I always feel like there is always something that I am “supposed” to be doing, but the trip taught me that not everyone has the same path, and it is up to me to create my own. I take that insight from this trip and will apply it to every step moving forward in terms of working on my career path.
-Jenn Li