What Employers Want

I figured you all were probably getting sick of advice from a "future" media professional- what do I know anyways, right? So, lets hear from a current media professional. I decided to ask my boss Pamela Raymond, CEO and Owner of The Raymond Experience, a niche firm specializing in public relations, event management, branding and focus groups.

Here is what Pamela had to say...

The key to success after graduation is field experience BEFORE graduation. Building a strong network of contacts and getting experience in your chosen field is extremely important in your future success and being competitive in the marketplace. How do you do that?

Internships

Internships give you an opportunity to explore the field and determine if your want a career in the field and it gives you the “reality” not the “dream” of what it means to work full time in that field. It also gives prospective employers insight into your work ethic which could lead to a job offer when you graduate. Employers are more likely to hire a proven commodity (YOU) then an unknown applicant. Find out about internships through your school or simply ask friends and family about their companies.

Networking

Get out and join professional organizations in your field. Many offer student rates. You will gain valuable exposure to decision makers or those who can advocate for you to get that internship or job opportunity. Never underestimate the old adage “It’s not what you know, it’s WHO you know”. When joining a professional organization, take on responsibility by joining a committee. You can shine with your skills but also learn a lot in the process. It is a great resume addition and shows you know how to apply your education to a wider audience.

If you have already graduated or are about to graduate, you can still apply these suggestions but in a modified way. Find a company willing to let you do a project of one to three months as an intern. Check out the websites of professional organizations and attend a public meeting or event and start talking to members about the industry.

Success hinges on what you do to further your experience prior to getting your diploma. Companies no longer find candidates without work experience attractive. Put your best foot forward before stepping foot out of school.

Building Relationships

Like I said in an earlier post - it's not what you know, but who you know. Networking is one of the best ways to market your personal brand. Like Gary Vanerchuk says, "Content is king, but Marketing is queen and the queen runs the household." You can have all of the content regarding your personal brand in the world, but if no one knows about it, then you don't have much.

One way to fix that problem is to build relationships- with everyone you can!

Attending a school like Lindenwood University, students have such an advantage. Every Professor at Lindenwood has had experience within the field they teach in. This is such an advantage for students. It allows for all of the opportunities in the world for students to build valuable relationships and network with the professors they see everyday.

If your not fortunate enough to attend a school such as, or similar to Lindenwood, then still, talk to your professors, you never know who they might know. Talk to friends, a former or current boss, family members, or even co-workers.

The Communications industry is all about building relationship - so if you plan on going into this industry, get use to it. The most rewarding part of my current internship is not landing a placement in the St. Louis Business Journal or on a top-tier blog. For me, the gold medal comes from meeting someone and trying to figure out how I can build a mutually beneficial relationship between that person and myself, and maybe down the road, between that person and my client.

When you really listen to others, you start to gage their interests and passions – with this, you can gain their trust. Trust is the building block to relationships, and relationships should be the foundation of good Communications.

Even though measurement and proving our contributions is fundamental to the success of our profession, it will be easier to do so if we start acting a little more human and a little less like impressions fiends. Don’t get me wrong – I know the value of measurement! It takes time, but so does the creation of any good foundation.

Get Experience

Let's face it- life after graduation can be scary! So scary that you may want to run home to mommy and daddy and call it a day. The good news is that there are many ways to make it a lot less scary. Figure, throughout most of you college career. Your teachers are always saying, "Get experience! As much as you can!" I hate to say it but- their right!

One of the best ways to make life after college is through an internship. Think about it, you get to explore the field that you may want to pursue a career in. You can put it on your resume- always a plus! And, you get to network!

So how can you do it? Easy- build up a personal and a digital network. Discover what it is that you are passionate about, and do a lot of research to find a position that will fit your criteria for workplace values.

Okay, so it might not be that easy. With our economy in its current state. It's a difficult process to find a great entry-level job or internship. From my personal experience; no matter how many time I rewrote my cover letter and reviewed my resume, getting interviews at companies was practically impossible without help from my friends and network.

But it's double.

The key thing to getting a good internship is to explore every opportunity that comes your way. Don't pass anything up, even if you think, "It would just be a waste of time. It's probably already filled anyway." If that's the case, than at least you know that you gave it a shot, but most likely you'll be surprised. Don't give up because as soon as you think their never going to get back to you, they do.

Find Your Brand

Personal Branding

What is it?

How does it work?

What's your personal brand?

You might want to get an idea because here's an FYI- it does matter. When a future employer might Google you- What will they find? Will it help you get a job, or will it prevent you from getting it?

Some positive ways of getting your personal brand out there are through...

• Blogging: You have tons of sites that you can start a blog through. Some of my favorite bloggers out there are just like you and me, young, up and coming professionals.

• Linkedin: This is a perfect professional site that can allow future media professionals to network with current media professionals, because lets face it- these days it's not about what you know, it's about who you know.

• Facebook: This social networking site is a little risky- it can come back to bite you if your not careful. I have heard my fair share of horror stories about Facebook wrecking individuals chances at their dream job. So my advice is to just keep it clean- imagine if your mom or grandma were looking at it, would they approve?

• Create your own website: Can you imagine what this would do for your personal brand! You can have complete control over who you are, what you about and how you want people to see you!

So, how are you going to make yourself known?

How Will Find a Good Internship?

Knowing what type of company you want to work for is key when developing your resume and preparing for an interview. When you find that company and get an interview you have to know your stuff. You have to think in terms of- what can I do for you, not what can they do for me. After all it is about the company you're trying to impress. A few things you can do to help you get the job you want:

• Find the right job/internship for you: You'd be amazed to see how much a little online research can do for your searching. Google will be your best friend! You can complete a local job search through a search engine, like Career Builder.

• Research the job you want: Once you find that job/internship you want, you need to learn about the company, do everything you can to know about the company up, down, forwards, and backwards.

• Post your resume: Job sites like Career Builder and even Craig's List let you post your resume online. One cool thing that a lot of companies are starting to allow, is that you can create a career profile on their website that allows you to upload a resume and search available jobs. You can also choose key words that, when match a job posting, the website will automatically send you an email about that job.

With all of the advances in technology, finding a job isn't about flipping through the paper anymore. So doing a little on line research is key.

Turn it into a Conversation

When it comes to interviews you most likely assume; sweaty palms, a red face, stuttering through your answers to the questions you can't even remember and thinking, "This is the longest interview of MY LIFE!" But don't worry you not the only one that feels that way. The trick is not to look at the interview as a lie detector test, but more of a conversation with people who are doing what you hope to do one day down the road.

From my experience, the key to changing attitudes about interviews is- probably not what most of you want to hear, but it's to be prepared. Believe me, the latter has been invaluable- no matter what type of interview I've had.

Once you sit down and the interview begins, you'll probably think, Did I prepare enough? What type of questions should I be ready to answer? When the interviewer is done asking questions and looks at me and says, "Is there anything you would like to ask me?" What do I say? Yes, no? If I do have questions, which would be beneficial to ask?

One thing I've learned is not to be shy about asking questions, this shows that you're truly interested in the company.

I have a list of questions I always pull from that match what is most important to me in a work environment:

• What is the typical career path for an entry-level employee?
• How can my position help the company achieve it's goals?
• What's the company's vision for the future?
• What's the ratio for teamwork versus individual work?
• How is the company organized? How often do entry-level employees interact with executive leadership?
• How do you think your competition views you?
• How can my position help the company achieve its goals?
• Does your company have a mentorship program? Is it formal or informal?
• How does your company's evaluation process work?
  
• Do you have professional development programs? What types?
• How did you get where you are now?
• How would you describe the culture here?
• May I have your business card?

This last one is important, you just spent the last 30-60 minutes speaking to an individual within the industry you are trying to break into. You never know when their business card might come in handy.

Having questions prepared is critical- and not to make you look better in the eyes of the interviewer, but to help you understand the company and position better. Think of things you need to know about the company before agreeing to work there, and don't be shy about asking the person interviewing you. And if your having trouble thinking of your own, check out this website...

What are some other good questions to ask during an interview?

What Will Make You Stand Out?

When thinking about life after college, I'm sure most of us think, "Okay, we're college students, employers can't be expecting too much from us... can they?" Turns out, they can and they do. We all know the dilemma: if you want to get a job, you need experience, but to get experience you need a job! It's a vicious cycle in this dog-eat-dog world.

You want to know one of the best ways to get the job you want? Give the job the attention and effort it deserves. Did you know that interviewers make up their mind about you- the potential employee, within the first 30 to 60 seconds that they meet you! That means you have less that one measly minute to convenience them- you're it. Before you even get that 60 seconds to impress them, you first have to impress them enough with your resume to get them to call.

Like Erin's sister said- in college they expect you to write a 10 page research paper comparing Dante's Allegory to that of Aristotle's poetics, but when it comes to building your resume... good luck, your on your own

Building your resume is the #1 most important thing to start you in the right direction to landing that dream job:

• Start early: Don't wait until your senior year to start! It will far to late to rescue a dwindling GPA or join every organization that comes your way. Give yourself enough time to build a good resume that you can be proud of.

• Get involved: Although clubs and volunteering may seem so high school, this will give you experience for your future career or improve your grad school application. What employer wouldn't be impressed by the President of the Red Cross, or someone who was proactive enough to start their own club? It's also a great way to meet new friends and help out your community.
  

• Grades do matter: GO TO CLASS!! I can't stress that enough. What are you going to tell your future employer when he/she asks why your GPA was so low, "oh... well... I just didn't fell like waking up and going to class mos of the semester..." Yeah I'm sure you'll be the first one hired after hearing that. Most of the time participation makes up 30-40% of our grade. So that means even if you bombed the assignment, at least you were in class and gave it a shot.

• Get experience: The best way to show that you actively care about your future is to get experience. Whether it's through a school internship or an internship you found on your own. Take every opportunity that comes your way! I am willing to bet that 95% of the time employers will give that entry-level position to the recent grad that has had real world experience. Imagine how good it looks to employers when a fresh college grad has already had two, maybe three internships. Internships usually offer to give college credit, and if you're lucky... they are paid, but hey, beggars can't be choosers!

When you sit down to write your resume, just ask yourself, "Is my future worth it?" I mean heck, we pay close to $20,000 a year for an education, your future better be worth it.

What are some other good resume tips and/or pointers?

Got it!

So after racking my brain all morning, I finally got it...well I think. My final project will be a "how to" guide for us future media professionals.

Professor Falk is always saying...."You want to be a future media professional? Well, get in line!" So, I hope to help make that line a little shorter for all of us. I will provide some tips and advice that I have acquired along my three year journey to becoming a future media professional....and I hope to in turn, help you.

To be continued....

Angels on the Catwalk

Every year I sit in awe staring at the TV wondering how in the world those stick thin women support the weight of those infamous Victoria’s Secret angel wings. This year will be no different! With the angel’s 2008 fashion show right around the corner, the minimal clothed beauties grace our television sets more and more as the days pass.



NAME OF PRODUCT:
Lingerie…and a few unmentionables :)

YEAR AD WAS MADE:
2008

AD AGENCY PRODUCING AD:
Good question……back in 2000 there were two agencies contending for media duties, Pro Media and KSL Media, but I’m not sure who won the battle!?!

Funny that I’m going into the communications/advertising industry, when I, like most others, fall into the category of people DVRing every show imaginable just to be able to skip the ads that amount to 30 minutes of a one hour show. Not with the Victoria’s Secret 2008 fashion show advertisement though. This one catches my eye…..but why? I guess Limited Brands, the company behind Victoria’s Secret realized it doesn’t take a genius to understand the appeal of beautiful women parading around in their underwear.


Though we may view the commercials on TV and think, “oh those undies are cute!” We also know that like all advertising, puffery is ALWAYS a big element. So, let’s face it, we all know sex sells and that is exactly what the ad agency had in mind when they create these eye catching ads of the Victoria’s Secret models. These women are among the tiny percent of the population with prefect sink, bodies and those beautifully mysterious accents. But us “average” women is like to think we can compare our bodies to these rare finds…talk about a shot to the ego…


Last week I DVRed (of course) my favorite show, Gossip Girl. When the show went to commercial I had my finger on that wonderful fast forward button! Then, I saw the angles and thought ooooo- what’s this? So I place my finger on the play button to see what the angel’s were up to (that right there shows that the advertisers were successful in reaching their target market) me and other females my age! Viewers that usually tune in to Gossip Girl are females anywhere from 16 to 25. How convenient for Victoria’s Secret to have a commercial featuring their upcoming fashion show for 2008… not a coincidence!


I believe that advertisers know what gets to females. This ad, while giving women a false body image, is right on! It’s exactly what we say, “ooooo- what’s this?” to. I think that no matter how much we tell ourselves that we shouldn’t compare our bodies to model body types, we still do and always will.

Uncut & Uncensored

Well after experiencing Professor Rift Fournier for a full class period I think it’s safe to say that he’s had a fun filled career in the communications industry. Being a writer, producer and actor for many major television series, he has seen all sides of the industry.

While Rift is big in the business I still think that one of his best stories he told was how he got his name. If only I had such a cool story to tell about my name…

His journey to what he became known for was quite interesting! Mr. Indecisive should be his name! Starting as a med student, then changing to a law student, and then finally deciding on writing he couldn’t make up his mind if his life depended on it! From working in the morgue to running the jail he had his fair share of experiences throughout college. After dropping out of law school he sold jokes for five dollars a pop in California (who can say that they’ve actually done that) and then went to the Big Apple to try and make it big, which actually worked out pretty well for him.

He has worked on TV shows like, NYPD Blue, Matlock, Charlie’s Angels, Kojak, and so on… But the show that he got the most praise for was a children’s series called “Go” which he actually won an Emmy for.

As far as his opinions on media go…I agree with him a lot! The internet has changed everything and in my opinion it will continue to change everything. Media is constantly changing and it’s something that current and future (us) media professionals have to keep up with, which isn’t always easy, but the technology that we have today - like the internet has helped out immensely

After all of his experiences I believe that the advice he gave us in class is pretty valuable… “The hardest thing about writing…is writing” and “You have to let the muse know where to find you!” Now isn’t that the truth! And the 50 minutes I got to spend with him was inspiring and really enlightening

As we all know technology has been evolving for as long as we can remember, and it will probably continue to grow and change. This is kind of a bitter sweet growth, I’m scared to be that old person (like our grandparents) and have NO CLUE how to work our remotes, let alone the internet… or our cell phones!


Television, like every other industry has been affected by the internet and convergence. What the heck is convergence anyways? For the sake of television it’s basically the way in which TV utilizes other media outlets such as internet to interact with, or appeal to their viewers.


In the case of my favorite show… Gossip Girl, convergence and the internet has definitely impacted the way the producers utilize the internet to reach their audience. Being too busy in the evenings to watch Gossip Girl on CW11 I usually record it and tune in later. I don’t particularly like viewing my shows on the internet, but since we received this assignment I went on and watched the full episode. It wasn’t that bad! I still like the big TV though, but I can see how producers try to use the website to get their viewers to get connected after the show is over. They have music, video clips and pictures you can see from past and upcoming episodes.

Advice for the Future

When I first thought about this assignment I was like, “what?!?” To be honest I have never been a blogger, this class blog is the first one that I’ve ever had. So between not having time for a blog and not being too knowledgeable about blogging, it’s an understatement when I say I haven’t the slightest clue about who’s blog I should write about.

So I decided to take the easy way out and visit Brazen Careerist and see who would catch my eye and it turns out that I found someone pretty interesting! Being a Public Relations major (or emphasis-same thing, right?) I decided that the most valuable blog would probably be someone in the same industry, so I came upon PR Interactive.

I am fully aware that finding a job after college is though, usually you have to start at the bottom and work your way up…but I had no idea it took this much preparation. Yes I currently have an internship for a smaller firm, The Raymond Experience. Prior to reading all about post graduation I thought one internship would be good enough to land a dream job at a top tier PR firm, turns out much like Meg Roberts, I was VERY wrong!

I think that the most valuable thing that Meg taught me is that you have to take advantage of every opportunity that gets thrown your way. I’m not so much attracted to the exciting multi-media aspect of it, because it obviously doesn’t have that much. What did does have is advice, valuable advice at that, and yes it will keep me coming back for more!

Whats With All The Hype...

After deciding on blogging about the debate that had the most buildup and excitement in the media I tuned in to NBC On October 2, 2008 to watch Senator Joe Biden and Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin take part in the 2008 Vice Presidential Debate. Being the first and one of the most important Presidential elections that I can take part in, I was eager to see how the competition would stack up. It’s not that I haven’t cared about elections in the past, I just feel that being a college student and a part Americas future I have learned that my decision really can make a difference. After all of the hype this particular debate got from media I’m sure that most people were excited to see how it would all play out.

I think that each candidate did a fairly good job. I don’t think that there was a clear winner or loser, but I think each candidate had their strengths and weaknesses. Gwen Ifill, the moderator of the debate, did a good job at being fair to each candidate. I really like that she is the only person who knows the any of the questions and subject she plans to touch on during the debate. It really lets the viewer know that the questions are original and the debate will be fair throughout all aspects.

The one thing that I have always said and I’m sure I can speak from many when I say that I can’t stand all of the slandering and attacks that each party takes part in. I’m sure that it is necessary in comparing each party, but I just wish that all of the candidates in each party would focus on the positives of their plans and not focus on the negatives of the other parties plans.

In regard to each candidate, I think that there were some questions that they chose to “dodge” and not answer directly, I think this was mostly Governor Palin. I noticed that although she had plenty to say, she often avoided the question Ifill was asking. Palin was often folksy and “soccer momish” when speaking, I think that with this she was obviously trying to appeal to certain type of people. I think that she definitely surpassed critics’ expectations and impressed many.

Biden was ever so knowledgeable and full of the facts, as he should being a veteran in politics and all. I wish that I could have heard a little more about the economic issues and GAS PRICES! I think that everyone would have liked to hear more about that. I understand that there is a time limit, and I’m sure the candidates are thankful for that. I think that each candidate presented themselves well and gave very good arguments. I went into this debate with as much of an open mind as I could and I think that I actually took a lot more away from the debate in doing so.

Is There a Future for Newspapers?

As you know we recently received the pleasure of having Bob Wigginton, a former deputy city editor for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in our classroom. I really believe that having an individual with 20 plus years of experience in the field of journalism can be extremely beneficial to us. He knows his stuff and he has had the first hand insight that we should all appreciate and be eager to learn more about.

One of the topics for concern during our class discussion was the question of what the future holds for newspapers. I believe that our generation, gen y and gen z holds the future for print media in our hands, for some people that can be a very scary thing and to some extent I have to agree. It’s not that I don’t believe we are capable of rising up to the challenge, because I do, as a matter of fact I think that we are a lot more competent than we are perceived to be. I just don’t know if this print media is what we want anymore! Technology has evolved so much and with the touch of a key or the click of a mouse we can receive all the news we could ever want. This could be one of the most terrifying things for those people who have worked so hard in the past to keep print news alive. I think that this should also mean something to us as well. We need to consider what effect losing print news will have on the entertainment and digital forms of media we can obtain our news from today. As we all learned newspapers do in fact lead the news process, so if one day that no longer exists, then where will get our news from? I think the last thing we want then, is to let all forms of newspapers disappear, right? I believe that as a whole gen y is already so uneducated on what issues and history are forming in our media every day. In class hardly any of us raised our hands when we were asked about various issues that have taken place in the news. That’s sad! I think that by losing newspapers we will only become more unaware of the issues taking place in our society.

Another issue we discussed that I think concerns us directly is the censorship concern regarding the Legacy, Lindenwood’s newspaper. In class today was the first time I have heard about the threat that happened on campus. I believe that for the safety and well being of Lindenwood students, the Administration should allow the Legacy to state the names of the students involved. I guess it shows us who their really concerned about, and it’s not looking like it’s us! Considering we help pay for the school to operate, I think it’s the least they can do for us.

I guess the only way to solve the many issues that hover over the future of the newspaper industry is to rise up to the occasion and take them on first hand!

Where Do We Draw The Line?

Television and its affects on children have been alarming parents since the 1950s. I think that it’s safe to say that most parents still like to have some control over what it is that their children are watching. In today’s society, not only do parents have to worry about monitoring the television shows that consume most of their children’s time, with the exception of sleep. Now they also have to worry about what affects other technological advancements like video games have on their kids. Are the issues American children face going to cause parents to have to put an end to television all together?

I don’t think that myself or anyone else will ever encounter an individual that has not watched TV before. I myself love television, I know exactly when it is that my favorite shows are playing and I make sure that if I don’t get to watch a show during its scheduled air time I record it and watch it later. I have never thought of television affecting my life directly, but I’m sure I could name a thousand reasons why parents have always been alarmed. I find it astounding that children at the age of 12 are watching up to four hours of television! When I was young I remember being outside most of the afternoon, after being in school all day the last thing I wanted to do was be indoors.

The media has put a spotlight on some of the negative affect technological advancements have had on this generation’s youth. I’m sure that most people are aware that America is one, if not the most obese country in the world. Why is that? I feel that a major contribution could be all of the play stations and game boys that encourage children to just sit in front of the television rather than be active and play outside. According to the website, Obesity in America, “Over the past 20 years, the proportion of overweight children ages six through 11 has more than doubled and the rate for adolescents ages 12 through 19 has tripled.” Ironically those numbers aren’t shocking, look at all of the ways fast food restaurants gear their ads on TV commercials toward children. Whether it be McDonalds with the characters or Dairy Queen with the funny lips, I think that it has become second nature for Americans to opt for fast food. Maybe it’s simply because fast food is easier, or maybe the amount of time we spend in front of the TV watching those ads over and over again real us in.

I think that another issue that television can expose children to is the concept of modeling in terms of violence. There are a lot of great movies and shows on TV that are fine for adults to watch, but not necessarily children. Take the new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight” for example. It was a great movie, but maybe not for a 13-year-old child. Some of the scenes even made me a little uneasy. Another classic example is the video game, Grand Theft Auto. Definitely too violent for children, my nephew has unfortunately gotten to play it before and now all he wants to do is shoot everyone.

I think that we will encounter problems like this one for many years to come, the question is, where do we draw the line?

A Media Circus

Who would have thought that it was possible to learn so much about another country in just one simple interview, with one person? Well need less to say, you can learn a lot. I had the pleasure of interviewing Adrian, an international student from Spain. Adrian, you is currently injured, is normally running around like a mad man representing the Lindenwood Soccer team. I was fortunate enough to grab him while he had a second to spare!

Adrian, like I said is from Spain and says that although they have free press, it wasn’t always like this. In the Franco era censorship was the rule of Spain. All of that changed with the launching of a new national daily, El País, in 1976. Adrian said that now the press is free, Spain still does not have the luxury of variety in their types of media like we do in the United States. He says that the biggest difference is most likely the amount of money and resources that US media have the right to use. I definitely agree with him, I think that we tend to take advantage of all the resources and money that our media sources have access to.

Since being in the United States, Adrian says that while in US he uses the Internet mostly, this way he can still have access to the Spanish newspapers. I asked him which type of media he enjoyed the most and not to my surprise he loves television and radio. Adrian is very knowledgeable about the media in Spain and informed me that in 1975 there were only two television channels, I can’t even imagine! He was very quick to add that today there are satellite servers and cable networks in Spain. Most cities and towns have access to more than 700 local channels.

I then started to become interested if whether or not Adrian has been following the US Presidential campaign and what his thoughts were on it. He had a very interesting view of the “circus” as he called it. Adrian said, “In US, the money for the campaign is private, so it creates many differences between candidates.” Which is very true, both Adrian and I saw eye to eye on how funny it is that American politicians spend so much money on their campaigns and yet there are still millions of Americans that go hungry and without health insurance everyday! The campaigns in Spain are very different, not only are they more serious Adrian says, but the Parties have money to spend on their political campaign depending on the votes they received in the previous elections. Another difference is that in Spain the media respects the privacy of the candidates, instead of focusing on their family members, he pointed out Sarah Palin’s daughter. “The media is so concerned about exploiting Sarah’s eldest daughter, I don’t even remember any of what Sarah is focusing on.”

I found that stepping in the shoes of another individual, especially one who is so different from myself could turn out to be extraordinarily enlightening. I am very pleased with having done this type of assignment and I think that it has taught me a lot.

Generation "special"

When I first saw the 60 Minutes clip in class Friday I was blown away. I think it’s funny that Corporate America is afraid of generation “y” and most businesses are hiring consultants to teach them how to deal with us. I think that is just a little too extreme. I couldn’t believe it when Maryann Salzman said that we require to be spoken to as if we are patients of a therapist. Now maybe I’m wrong, but last time I checked I am perfectly capable of handling a little constructive criticism, even a little disappointment. Not only do I believe that we are more technology savvy and resourceful, but I think of myself as an individual that is in fact very respectful and hard working. I do not agree with assumption that our generation as a whole is an “only take yes for an answer” group of people. I believe that we are all individuals and should get the respect to be treated that way rather than be prejudged based on the year we were born. Maybe some of the those belonging to generation “y” always have to be winners and never do any wrong, but I feel that it is all based on the way our parents raised us and the values they instilled in us along the way. Which unquestionably differs from person to person.

Although most of the things they said actually infuriated me, I can see how they come up with their judgments. I think that as much as we are individuals, we are also as a whole, living up to their expectations. We are a generation that fortunately does have it a little easier and I think that can regrettably allow us to expect certain things without working for them and that is definitely wrong.

Say, "Cheese"

Have you ever had one, or many things in life that you love and wish you were good at, but no matter how hard you try you just can’t seem to get it? Well I sure know I have and one of the things that I’m most passionate about, photography, I just can’t seem to perfect! That sure doesn’t stop me though.

I actually just got a new camera; it’s a Cannon Power Shot 800elph, whatever that means?!? All I know it that it’s AWESOME and I love all of the features. Some of my favorite things to photograph are the people I know and love.

My boyfriend’s sister Jackie and now husband, Matt just recently got married! The wedding was in downtown St. Louis and I never realized how many fascinating things go on there. I was that crazy girl taking pictures of people I didn’t even know, I’m sure they weren’t too happy with me by the end of the weekend.

Anyway…I will post some of my favorite picture so you can learn a little me about me!!