NMI 4220
Digital Brown Bag is a unique, seminar-style course that helps ease New Media students into the professional world. I took this course the second semester of my Sophomore year, right when COVID-19 hit America. I started this class in person and ended on Zoom. Who would’ve thought, right? Although I ended Digital Brown Bag online, I still learned many valuable things such as the importance of credit score, keeping up with industry trends and making valuable, professional relationships. Here a few of my favorite highlights from the class.
Credit Score
One of the first things we learned in Digital Brown Bag was the importance of maintaining a good credit. This means getting a credit card and staying on top of your payments, as well as other methods. You do this to maintain your credit score. Credit Score ranges from 300-850 – lower the score, worse the credit. Before this lesson, I honestly hadn’t though about the importance of maintaining a credit score. I realized that I needed to understand my own finances so I can set myself up for a successful future. For this assignment, I sat down with my Dad to learn about my credit card and payments. I then created an account on KreditCarma and checked my credit score.
Digital Identity
Another key lesson in this course was why you should be aware of your digital identity. Everything and anything that you post on the internet never truly disappears, even if you delete it. That being said, it is imperative to maintain your digital identity, especially when entering the professional world. We were tasked with doing a deep online search of ourselves in order to discover our digital identities. By doing this assignment, I was able to ensure that my online presence correctly represented how I want to be seen by the public. When I searched my name on Google, I was shocked with some of the things I found. To be honest, some things were a little embarrassing. I found old images I took in Middle School linked to an old Twitter account I forgot about. There were also some videos of me singing as a child that my dad had posted to YouTube. This lesson really showed me how crucial it is to manage what content of yours can be seen by the general public.
Internship Research
In Digital Brown Bag, we discussed beginning the search for an internship or even the scary J-O-B. This process can be very overwhelming and scary to a young college student. In order to ease that stress, we talked about resources to use and steps we could take for an easy application process. We were tasked with creating a LinkedIn account and creating a strong, professional profile. We also were required to design and print business cards that could be given to professionals. Our main task, however, was to do research on certain companies with internships that spiked interest. Because I love Theatre, I searched for Public Relations internships within the Broadway industry.
Guest Speakers
My favorite part of Digital Brown Bag was the guest speakers that would come to our class. About once a week, industry professionals would address our lecture class and share their experiences. Each presenter had different advice to share, and there was a wide variety of experience. We listened to Public Relations Practitioners, Social Media Influencers, Web Developers and many more. Listening to each professional talk about their careers showed me how expansive the world of New Media is. I think having guest speakers in this class was so beneficial, especially since I took the class when I was still only a Sophomore. I gained inspiration that I took with me throughout the rest of my college career.