As a general psychology major, I began my job at Career Services seeking a stable income and looking for opportunities to form connections. But what I wasn’t expecting when I started working here was to reignite a passion that I thought I had lost years ago. Being at Career Services showed me I wasn’t as sure as I thought with my school journey, but it also led me down a new path that I was excited to look into.
Switching over from a Career Peer Advisor at Career Services to a Marketing Assistant may have been an uncomfortable switch, but it reminded me just how much I needed art in my life, pushing me towards a new goal.
Landing the Marketing Assistant Role
Around a year ago, well into my college career, I started to experience a slump at school. I realized what I was learning and doing on a daily basis wasn’t a suitable lifestyle for me. But after talking to my supervisors and close coworkers, they helped me find what was causing the slump and make a shift at work in hopes of relighting a fire under my feet, even if it wasn’t for my major at hand.
While being in a new position was nerve-racking at first, especially one such as a marketing. I was used to jobs with set instructions to follow every day, but with my new role, it was a lot more flexible. I updated Career Services’ social media when needed, assisted with event preparation, and even started helping create some of the material for Career Services, and this is where I started to notice a change.
The Moment of Realization: Hands-on Creativity
Yes, all the other tasks are helpful in terms of experience and helping me grow as a worker, but I found my favorite part of the job is the actual creation of things. Having to make these graphics and media posts for Career Services reminded me of the same joy art brought me all throughout my beginning years of school. I was finally able to find a spot in life where I enjoy coming to work and getting to be able to do what I love daily.
Through working at Career Services, I’ve been able to further my talent as an artist and also push my limits of designing ideas and brainstorming. Not only is it empowering to create, but it’s also inspiring to be able to see the engagement students have with my work and the impact it has on them to keep going and maximize their resources.
How Psychology Plays a Role in My Marketing Success
While being a Marketing Assistant did relight my passion for art and incorporated it back into my daily life, it also reminded me of the joy that comes with being confident in what you know. Through this, I was also able to rediscover my passion again in learning Psychology. Especially working in a position like Marketing, I found I use psychology a lot more than I expected.
One of the most important parts of being a good marketer is knowing how people work, what they like, and what motivates them. By applying what I’ve learned in my psychology degree, I can create things for career services that not only appeal to students but also push them to start their own career journey. I’m still able to help others through relatable messages, as those do in Psychology, just now I get to do it through art.
Final Thoughts
While working at Career Services has helped me in many unimaginable ways, the biggest thing this job has taught me is that growth happens when you step outside your comfort zone. By staying open and flexible in my time of confusion, a passion I had thought was long gone came back into my life ten times stronger. Now I work in a position where I’m driven by passion constantly, not only with my art and materials at Career Services, but also in my studies as a Psychology student.
It’s important to move through life willing for the unknown; every experience can be a guiding light towards your right career path if you allow it.
