sndu : one thing i wish i knew when i was in college

“You either make

an effort or you don’t.

...

You’re a musician:

You play.

That’s what you do.”LOU REED1942-2013R.I.P.

@Dorsey #SNDU #onething

Thursday, November 7, 13

welc [email protected] #SNDU


Steve Dorsey

@Dorsey


‘Prepare in School to be Ready for the Job Market’

STEVE DORSEY


Q: What’s the ONE THING you wish someone told you when you were in college?STEVE DORSEY + FRIENDS

*(More than 2 centuries of collected experience)


Ground rules...

@Dorsey #SNDU


#Whatstheonethingyouwishsomeonetoldyouwhenyouwereincollege?

@Dorsey #SNDU

GROUND RULESWhat’s our hashtag?


#Wt1tUwstUwUwic?


@Dorsey #SNDU


#onething


@Dorsey #SNDU


#SNDU #onething




We’re going to move fast. Lots of ground to cover.


GROUND RULESPace?


Just ‘Steve.’ Unless on : @Dorsey


GROUND RULESSay my name...


No Steve Jobs quotes!


GROUND RULESQuote-free zone!


No Henry Ford quotes!


GROUND RULESQuote-free zone!


Basics. Fundamentals.

Design [email protected] #SNDU #onething

GROUND RULESThis session is NOT...


TimHarrower.comLynda.com


GROUND RULESFor design theory + basics:


“Side projects

and hobbies

are important.”

AUSTIN KLEON

@austinkleon

Writer, artist, speaker, innovator

Steal Like An Artist Newspaper Blackout NEW: Show Your Work!

Austin, TX



http://austinkleon.com/steal/

http://austinkleon.com/steal/

http://austinkleon.com/newspaperblackout/

http://austinkleon.com/newspaperblackout/

http://austinkleon.com/show-your-work





http://austinkleon.com/2011/03/30/how-to-steal-like-an-artist-and-9-other-things-nobody-told-me/

TEDx: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oww7oB9rjgw

Creative Mornings/Austin: http://vimeo.com/65988589



http://vimeo.com/65988589







GROUND RULESBonus!

PRIZES!

There will be PRIZES!

(Sorry, there will NOT be Daniel Day Lewis. You’re stuck with me.)


Q: First student to arrive this morning?Q: Student who traveled the farthest? Q: First question asked?Q: First student business card given?


GROUND RULES#ThereWillBeSwag


Q: What’s the ONE THING you wish someone told you when you were in college?STEVE DORSEY + FRIENDS

*(More than 2 centuries of collected experience)



Practice your pitch!

“Why you should hire

me” in 90 second...

Ready. Set. GO!

JOY MAYER

@mayerjoy

University of Missouri-Columbia

Director of community outreach at the Columbia Missourian

Associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism

[email protected] #SNDU #onething


http://www.linkedin.com/edu/school?id=18720&trk=prof-0-ovw-edu


http://joymayer.com/2012/10/16/marketing-yourself-whats-

the-story-of-your-journalism/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTiz5zBa7GA#t=41


JOY MAYER

@mayerjoy

University of Missouri-Columbia

Director of community outreach at the Columbia Missourian

Associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism

JoyMayer.com


http://joymayer.com/2012/10/16/marketing-yourself-whats-the-story-of-your-journalism/










“Listen well.

Speak up.

Try new things.”

JOE GRIMM

@newsrecruiter

U-M (although he bleeds MSU green now)

Visiting editor in residents, Michigan State University




“Taking French 101 and 102 doesn’t make

you ready to translate at the U.N. Classes

just introduce students to technique and

theory and it’s up to the student to take

that and run with it.”

KARL GUDE

@karlgude

Graphics Editor in Residence at Michigan State University (and former Director of Information Graphics at Newsweek and the AP)



“Stop worrying about what it is that you

think you can and can’t do. Very few

people are truly qualified for the jobs they

have (apologies in advance to everyone at

this conference that I’ve just offended).

They were just the ones brave enough to

raise their hands and say ‘I can do that.’

You can always figure it out as you go.”

EMMET SMITH

@emmetsmith

Ball State University

Curation Lead, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer



“In college, don’t strive to be like the big

paper nearby. Strive to be better than the

big paper at the things they don’t know yet.

Ask yourself, what’s that look like now?

Answer that with your work, and you’ll

improve your chances of getting hired.”

KEVIN WEDNT

@kwendt

Northern Illinois University. GO HUSKIES!

Director of News and Opinion, Advance Digital



“I wish I had taken a

course on the highs

and lows of the

human condition.”

DR. MARIO GARCIA

@DrMarioRGarcia

University of South Florida (1969)CEO/Founder, Garcia Media

Blog: The Mario Blog (garciamedia.com/blog)

eBook: iPad Design [email protected] #SNDU #onething


“Do whatever you can

to get an internship.”DARREN SANEFSKI

@dsanefski

Syracuse University grad

Assistant Professor of Multiple Platform Journalism, University of Mississippi

SND education [email protected] #SNDU #onething


“Get. An.

Internship.”


DARREN SANEFSKI

@dsanefski

Syracuse University grad

Assistant Professor of Multiple Platform Journalism, University of Mississippi

SND education director


“That nobody cares what you think.

They only care what you can do or

show them. Newsrooms, when they

function well, are meritocracies

and if you have a great idea, great

design, great story, that will get you

farther than your opinion.”

STEVE CAVENDISH

@scavendish

Belmont College grad

News editor, critic at Nashville Scene and Nashville Post



“This is the time to explore

every boundary. Once you

get there go farther. Don’t

respect the institution if

you know it’s flawed - find

a way to improve it.”

CARLOS AYULO

@ayulo

University of New Mexico

Assistant Managing Editor / PresentationSt. Louis Post-Dispatch



“I wish somebody had told me to be open-minded

about where good design was coming from. When I was

a student, we let the SND annuals dictate the best

designs to us, and consequently, our paper often looked

like a bunch of college hacks were trying to recreate the

best work in the world. And even if we HAD been able to

do that (we weren’t), we still would have been limiting

our influences to whatever made the annuals...”

JOSH CRUTCHMER

@jcrutchmer

Oklahoma State University (BA, Journalism, 2001)

Deputy Design Director, Buffalo News



“You probably really don’t need to go to

college for journalism if you hustle and can

teach yourself technology. Your professors

are learning things 2 weeks before they

teach it to you. (I say this having taught

and having a lot of friends who now

teach.) ... Go to college for something else,

and do journalism at the college paper or

other local media outlets. It’s more of a

trade than an academic craft.”

WILL SULLIVAN

@journerdism

University of Toledo and Northwestern University

Global Mobile Lead for the Broadcasting Board of Governors



“Don’t get pigeon-

holed. Develop skills in

all areas if you want to

survive in the real

world. ... RICHARD JOHNSON

@newsillustrator

Duncan of Jordanstone, Dundee University, Scotland

Senior Graphics Editor, Washington Post

newsillustrator.com


Oh and don’t eat the

worm at the bottom of

a Tequila bottle.”


“Don’t get laser-focused on your field of

choice. Take a wide range of classes in

different fields, especially ones different

from your own. ... It also means [taking]

things like philosophy, psychology,

business/entrepreneurship, computer

science, linguistics, neuroscience, modern

art and poetry, screenwriting, [and so on].”

GREG LINCH

@greglinch

University of Miami (FL)

Local Innovations Editor, The Washington Post


MAD JOURNALISM with Greg Linch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4pDApk7c8Y




“Don’t worry as much

about money in your career.

It will come eventually.

Stay focused on your work

and what drives you.

That’s most important.”

JOEY MARBURGER

@josephjames

Purdue University

Director of Digital Products and Design at The Washington Post



“To sketch more. To make

more. To think more about

process and less about the

destination, whatever that

may be. To put a lot of

energy toward becoming a

well-rounded person, too.

To read more. A lot more.”

JULIE ELMAN

BFA in commercial design, University of Dayton (Dayton, Ohio)MFA in photography, Ohio University (Athens, Ohio)

Associate Professor (School of Visual Communication, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio)

SND print publications [email protected] #SNDU #onething


“Be bold in everything you do

(your work, applying for jobs,

networking). When I’m hiring

designers, I look at talent and

potential as much as previous

experience. So don’t let those lines

like ‘3-5 years experience’ scare you

off. Apply and see what happens.”

JON WILE

@[email protected]

Kent State University ... Home of the Golden Flashes!

Creative Director, American City Business Journals

I currently have designer openings in Washington, Baltimore and San Francisco. I oversee the design, graphics and photography in 43 markets around the country, so we constantly have openings.



“I spent too much time wishing I was perceived

as one of the super star kids in my program, and

looking back, it was a total waste of energy.

The secret to my success has been to work hard,

be nice to people and commit to continuous self-

driven education. ... Worry less about being in the

cool crowd, and you’ll go farther than you think.”

KYLE ELLIS

@kyleellis

The Harvard of Muncie, Indiana ... THE Ball State University

Designer, CNN DigitalSND Digital Director



INTERMISSIONInterview lightening round



Be specific,

give examples.




Think in terms

of sound bites.




Listen, listen, LISTEN!...




Good answers lead

to conversations.




Resume > conversation > interview > offer



Feedback/critique/coaching > reference >

next job > network > rinse + repeat...


Come with 3 cohesive

talking points.




Come with 3

real questions.




Know something about

the org you’re talking to.




Mentioning a project?

Show it, link it.




“I wish I had learned more about how to deal

with interoffice dynamics. So much of my

success or failure here is not determined by how

great my design idea is — but by how I interact

with staffers who report to me, and those who

rank higher than me. It is determined by how I

deal with those who do not report to me, but

whom I still need to listen to me and do what I

ask them to. Being able to connect with such a

variety of different colleagues... is critical to the

final outcome of my work.”

RICK EPPS

@repps

Michigan State University

Presentation Editor, The Detroit News



“Learn a foreign

language —

fluently.

It’s even more

important now.”

WAYNE KAMIDOI

@waynekamidoi

Central Michigan University

Art director, The New York Times



“Join SND. Or ONA. Or NPPA. Whatever

your thing is. Go to their events and

introduce yourself to people. Every job

offer I’ve had since college has been

because of contacts I’ve made through

SND and I am envious of

college students who are smart enough

to have already figured that out.”

KENNEY MARLATT

@kenney

DePauw University

Editor/Designer, Chicago Tribune



“... That I could make a living

designing communication as

an independent consultant.

I was always afraid that I

would end up in an advertising

agency designing ads for a

wholesale grocery.”

HANS PETER JANISCH

Fachhochschule Mainz / Germany (University of applied sciences)Diplom-Designer (Master of Arts nowadays)job

Design Consultant to the newspaper industry



http://www.pressedesign.de/

http://www.pressedesign.de/

“When I was a college student, I thought

somehow my talent would just show the

way to a great job and that I didn’t need

to use connections. I was, of course,

ridiculously wrong. Ultimately a friend

who graduated a year before gave me

the connection that led to my first job.

My first boss went a long way toward

getting me my second and third jobs.

Connections are everything! So they’ve

come to the right place to connect.”

ROB SCHNEIDER

@schneiderSND

Northeast Missouri State University (now called Truman State University)

Presentation Director, The Dallas Morning News

SND [email protected] #SNDU #onething


“The transition from a college newsroom to a

professional newsroom is often not easy: 1. In college,

you’re surrounded by people your age with similar

interests. You put the paper to bed and often hit the

bars... It’s a blast. When you jump to a professional

newsroom, it can be jarring. Many people are older,

have kids, grandkids, a mortgage and college tuition

to pay for. They go home after work because they

need to get their kids ready for school in the early

morning. The social aspect can be very tough,

especially if you work nights and weekends.

RYAN HILDEBRANDT

@ryanwesley29

Indiana University

Creative Director, Louisville Design Studio

SND Louisville conference chair



“... 2. In college you have freedom to mostly do

what you want. It’s easier to experiment and

innovate, because you don’t have so many

institutional rules and traditions. I thought I’d walk

into my first job and find that everyone was a

veteran, top-notch journalist who pushed the

limits of our industry. I thought everyone would lap

me in knowledge and skill. It took me a while to

realize there were a few people like that, but most

folks were reluctant and uncomfortable to think

beyond ‘That’s the way we’ve always done it.’ ” ...

RYAN HILDEBRANDT

@ryanwesley29

Indiana University

Creative Director, Louisville Design Studio

SND Louisville conference chair



“Career building is about maturity: how

you work with others, how you handle

criticism and disappointment. I took

things way too personally as a young

professional and probably cost myself

some opportunities because of that.”

STEPHEN KOMIVES

@skomives

Columbia University

Executive Director, Society for News Design



“I wish someone had told

me how nice and helpful

(most) professionals can

be. Want some advice/to

figure out how your idol got

where they are? Ask them.

They’ll probably tell you.”

KATIE MYRICK

@myrick

Indiana University (RIP Ernie Pyle School of Journalism)

News designer at The Washington Post and editor of snd.org



http://snd.org/

http://snd.org/

“If you just do class work, you’re screwed.

I wish I had used class work to feed my own

ideas instead of worrying about completing

the given assignment. Class assignments often

remove the most important part of design work:

conceiving of the problem — not just solving it.

Use class work to seed your ideas, but make the

ideas yours. When we look at portfolios we don’t

care if the applicant followed the assignment (or

what grade the professor gave you); we care

about great ideas, and great looking design.”

JARED NOVACK

@jarednova

The Daily Orange + Syracuse University

Partner at Upstatement



“Don’t marry your high

school sweetheart, but

that’s probably not what

you’re after. I went to art

school. They didn’t teach

me how to make a living,

but I did learn how to think.”

TIM FRANK

@tmfrnk

The Cleveland Institute of Art

Director, Gannett's Asbury Park Design Studio



“Take risks, do what you love.

You’ll be surprised how much of

what you love doing in college will

guide you to things you love in your

career. You have a lifetime to figure

out your life, live your days with

honesty, integrity and inspiration.

Oh and, fake it til you make it.”

NINA MEHTA

@ninamehta

Indiana University, B.A.J. JournalismB.A. Political ScienceM.S. Human-Computer Interaction design

Product Designer, Pivotal Labs



“It’s okay to take criticism with a grain of

salt, but there are times you should do the

same with praise. If praise is coming from

someone who hands it out like candy, is it

really meaningful? On the flip side, it’s fine

to question someone who does nothing

but criticize as well. You have to have

balance – the most valuable critiques I

received included someone who could

point out things that I did well and

encourage me, and also make suggestions

as to things I could improve on.”

ANDREA ZAGATA

@zagatam


Sports designer, The Buffalo News



Two things, actually, but they’re

two sides of the same coin:

1. “If you wanna be creative,

you gotta bend the rules.”

2. “If you’re not having fun,

you’re not doing it right.”

TIM HARROWER

@TimHarrower

Eastern Michigan University

TimHarrower.com



“How to do a proposal and job estimate

for a client (super important!) and

unfortunately most of the schools tend

to forget about the business aspect in our

professions! And also super important:

how to do your taxes!!! Especially when

you have income from 3 or 4 different

countries tax forms are a pain to fill! And

yes, I’m stubborn and always do taxes

myself, not with any accounting guy! :)”

GABRIELA SCHMIDT

@GabiSchmidt

Fine Arts and Design Institute in Mexico City

Senior Creative Director at Schmidt Media Group



“What you study matters, and who you know matters even more. Take

classes in philosophy, math, statistics and business. Get to know the

people in college who will become future leaders.

And also, find someone in your industry who’s older and wiser, and who

you’d count as a competitor. Take that person out to lunch. It’s highly

likely that you’ll have much to learn from her, and that likewise she’ll

have a lot to learn from you. Build a partnership, where you share ideas

with each other, ask questions, and build a mutually beneficial

relationship. Befriending your competition and developing a pathway

to strengthen both businesses is what some of the most successful

entrepreneurs are doing today. It may seem counterintuitive, but I keep

seeing young entrepreneurs pair off with seasoned businesswomen

and men. It's also something I practice myself.”

AMY WEBB

@webbmedia

Jacobs School - (the music conservatory at Indiana University)

Founder & CEO, Webbmedia GroupCo-founder, Spark CampAuthor, Slate columnist, Harvard Business Review contributor, [email protected] #SNDU #onething


“I wish I’d been more involved with journalists

and professionals at my hometown paper and

in the industry. I didn't think I would ever work

for a newspaper, so I wasn't interested in

internships. I had to learn the hard way that

real-world experience will always be useful.

Making connections with people who can

become colleagues, mentors or job references

will pay off for the rest of your career (even if

it's not in journalism), so start early!”

MELISSA ANGLE

@mangle

Wichita State University, 2002

Projects editor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution



“You can still have a great, fruitful

career in journalism even if you

can’t get a gig at the school paper.

(I applied five times.) You just

have to hustle and you have to

know when to speak up. Your ideas

will win people over. And you can

create those ideas yourself.”

ERNIE SMITH

@stoicboy


Editor, ShortFormBlog

Social Media Journalist, McMURRY/TMG

ShortFormBlog.tumblr.com



“...my major, my grades, and in general

figuring out what I wanted to do didn’t really

matter. My friend Jack Cheng said it best:

‘You can’t connect the dots looking forward;

you can only connect them looking backwards.

So you have to trust that the dots will somehow

connect in your future.’

Don't worry if you're in the middle of a moment

that you think is taking you nowhere.”

BILL COUCH

@couch

University of Michigan2007 Bachelor of Arts, Screen Arts and Cultures, Communications

Product Engineer at Twitter



“The industry will

change… a LOT!

Just be prepared

to adapt your skills

and change with it

and you’ll be fine!”

JENNIFER GEORGE PALILONIS

Ball State University, BA, MA; Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, PhD

George & Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Multimedia Journalism





Worry more

about facts

than fonts.

STEVE DORSEY

@dorsey

#SNDU #onething


Be bold.

Swing hard.STEVE DORSEY

@dorsey

#SNDU #onething


Drive it

like it’s

stolen.

STEVE DORSEY

@dorsey

#SNDU #onething


Do epic sh*t. STEVE DORSEY

@dorsey

#SNDU #onething



#SNDU #onething
