Goodbye College
The Many Lessons I learned from MKTG4983
I sat in my bedroom on a dreary February afternoon wearing my most cozy pajamas. This environment is typical for me, but normally I would be watching reruns of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. On this particular day, I sat in class with a professor who was across the country learning about marketing concepts. If you told me a year and a half prior that I would finish my time in college in my bed, I would have been confused or depressed. A year and a half later I actually am confused and depressed. But if this year taught me anything, it taught me to be grateful. And I am grateful. I spent an entire semester with people I have never met in person, but still, feel like I know. As a veteran of zoom university, I know that forming relationships on zoom is not easy, so when I do I cherish it. Thank you, Professor Singh.
Why I was Nervous for MKTG4983
On my first day of class of MKTG4983, I got the worst news I could receive. I was in a 3-hour class, with 10 kids, and I was required to keep my camera at all times. My ADHD mind went into panic mode, but I soon learned that Professor Singh was engaging and understanding. If he asked me a question I did not know the answer to, he never embarrassed me he always said, “do you want to google it.” He just wanted us to learn. He gave us the breaks we needed and asked us questions about our future plans. He invited speakers, asked us what we thought of them, and if we did not like them he valued our opinion. It was important to him that we learn from people who actually experienced the topics we learned about. And we learned a lot of vital things such as SEO, SEM, Email marketing, and website design.
My Greatest Lesson was About Myself
My favorite part of the class was the many presentations we were required to give. You see, a year before this class began I finished my first CO-OP. It was my dream job, and I worked hard to get it. But once I was there, I was mediocre at best. The things I thought I was good at, I was okay at. I was in no way a star intern. When I left the job, I evaluated myself the way you do a failing company. I felt as if I had no competitive advantage. I needed to pivot. I changed my career plans and tried to have faith in myself, but I lost my confidence. Flashback to MKTG4983, I had COVID-19, no energy in my body, and was required to give a presentation. I told Professor Singh to be prepared for my lack of energy, and when I was done he said, “Salma you can never be low energy.” After all my presentations, Professor Singh noted how passionate I was and how much I cared about the subject matter. I never considered myself to be more passionate than the average person. I mean we all have things we care about. I never considered myself to be a great public speaker, but maybe I am. Professor Singh’s comments gave me the confidence I lost. Maybe I have an energy and a point of view that is beyond mediocre. My new internship begins in a month, and I happy to say that I have faith in myself.
