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Throughout life, children are taught to gain skills for what they want to be when they are older. This is prepared through life experiences such as shadowing or interning with a professional, team sports, or clubs and reflecting on their experiences. But what happens when that child gets to college and hates the major they chose for themselves? Do they have to start from scratch and learn new skills for their future career? No, not necessarily. Choosing a career can be complicated, but the skills gained throughout life will aid you when finally choosing a career that suits you.

Start gathering your skills and accomplishments

Writing a resume can be stressful. You may not be able to think of all of the skills and accomplishments that you have. But with just a little thought and patience, it will come easily. The best thing to do is start by thinking of all the teams, jobs, and internships you have been a part of. These have value as the skills you have gained from them could be teamwork, analytical thinking, technology skills, and more. You must be able to execute the skills and principles that you have learned from your previous commitments. Whether that is communicating effectively, learning to be a leader or follower, and dealing with obstacles that may arise. All of the experiences you have hold some real-world application and will accelerate your influence in the workplace. 

Network, Network, Network

Searching for a job can be intimidating, however, talking to people and getting connections will make the process much more enjoyable. First, start by finding a mentor. Engage in situations where you can shadow or intern someone and see if you thrive in that particular career environment. Become better informed by learning the demands of each career option. Meet people. Do not be afraid to talk to people you are around, whether in the workplace, school or someone on the street. These people could have connections that could be beneficial to you. 

Actively seek opportunities

Throughout your college career, there are several ways to gain experience. Go to career fairs, volunteer, and search for internships or jobs. Find a club that is about something you have passion for. All of these opportunities are ways that you can develop your skillset within your desired career field. Seeking opportunities will benefit you in your future career and help you to advance in the work environment. 

Preparing for a career is intimidating, but essential skills and accomplishments are learned throughout your life. Whether they be communicating with others, leading a project, or past experiences. Be sure to reach out and meet people to learn about opportunities that may be interesting or beneficial to your future career. Stay focused, motivated, and pursue your passion. 

Whether you are on vacation, hanging out with friends, or just hanging out and taking selfies, the thought of how to take better photos on your phone has probably crossed your mind. Do you see a beautiful sunset and wonder how photographers capture the full essence of its beauty? What about a photo of your friend where nothing seems to capture your gaze except for her crystal blue eyes and her sparkling smile? Well, these tips on how to take better photos on your phone will help you to capture the beautiful moments in your life.

Adjust exposure

The easiest adjustment that you can make to your photo is by adjusting the exposure. The exposure allows you to lighten or darken your photo depending on how much light was exposed to your camera lens. The amount of light that reaches your camera lens is determined by the shutter speed of the lens and how sensitive the lens is to light.

Turn on your grid

Phones now have a feature that you can turn on where a grid appears. This grid on your phone allows you to square up the subject of your photo. It keeps the horizon straight and allows the objects in your photos to be perfectly vertical. Additionally, the grid allows you to place the important element of your photo into the three-by-three grid to equally divide up the picture. This element gives structure to your photo and makes it more appealing to the viewer. Notice the image below has squared up the flower using the grid function targeting the petals of the flower. Additionally, the photographer of this photo adjusted the exposure to brighten the once dark image.

Hold your phone still and steady

Phones are created to be lightweight and easy to carry around, so holding a phone to take a picture is different than holding a bulky, heavy camera. If you want to achieve the most visually appealing photo, make sure that you take time to set yourself up in front of your subject. To avoid any involuntary movements, you should put your elbows to the side of your body and hold your phone with both hands.

Taking quality photos has become exceptionally easy with the creation of the mobile phone. You can now easily take pictures that look as if a professional took them without having to purchase expensive and difficult to use equipment. By setting yourself up and holding your phone still you will reduce blur, adjusting the exposure allows you to brighten or darken your photo depending on the desired look that you want, and turning on the grid for your photo will allow your image to be perfectly square.

Whether you are traveling to work, school, or any other destination, life has become fast-paced. Stopping to greet others in passing is slowly fading away. But why? Social media is beginning to impact how we communicate and live with one another. Within the past few decades, we have become addicted to social media and the ease of mobile communication. While mobile communication may be easier for our busy lifestyles, it may ultimately compromise our meaningful communication and interpersonal relationships.   

Open messaging with social media 

With privacy settings set to the highest possible security, anything said or created online has the potential to be leaked or inadvertently shared with the world. What we might have communicated privately to one another face-to-face can now be shared over many platforms and distances within an instant. We can post positive messages, spread hate, and even share our opinions with thousands of people. Yet, while we are able to communicate with many people on social media, it seems that our interpersonal communication is diminishing. We are so focused on what is happening on our mobile devices that we lose focus on what is happening in front of us. Studies have found that mobile device addiction/abuse is becoming an issue. Anxiety is increasing among teenagers, especially those who compare their looks to unrealistic or retouched photos like the girl in the image below.

While addiction may not affect everyone, more people seem unable to hold a meaningful in-person discussion with a friend, colleague, or child. While social media has some perks, it distracts us from the important moments in life.  

Viewpoint diversity diminishes

In addition to having an infinite outlet of communication platforms, we are beginning to see diversity of viewpoints and opinions diminishing. Social media allows us to repost, like, and follow specific people based on our interests and beliefs. Suppose we do not like seeing a particular viewpoint; in that case, we can instantly dislike, report, or unfollow a person or post. This ability to filter the opinions that we see has diminished the diversity of our viewpoints. We no longer have to listen to another perspective or argue our side with social media. This ability has affected our interpersonal communication completely. People are now disproving others’ opinions. If you do not have a particular view, you could get canceled online or cause an angry or violent argument in person.  

It is evident that our lives and interpersonal communication are being affected by social media, and it can be both positive or negative. While social media allows us to broadly communicate positive information or opinions, we are losing the face-to-face aspect. We no longer have to talk to one another in person but can instead send a message instantly. We are losing focus on what is happening right in front of us, like spending little, if any, time with family and friends.  

There are many incredible resources to help you learn more about mobile devices and social media usage and its impacts. Here are a few links to share, and you can simply Google keywords like “Social Media addiction” or “Impact of Social Media” to find resources such as these:

Our Social Media Addiction: Harvard Business Review

Social Media’s Growing Impact on Our Lives: American Psychological Association

Social Media Use and Impact on Interpersonal Communication | SpringerLink

As you know in AGRCOMM 2531 we will be using u.osu.edu for your blog assignments. Through this process we will develop and sharpen your blog writing skills. For this test blog, you will practice using the platform and the information will provide you tips on writing blogs for this class. This paragraph is an example of an introduction to a blog post.

What should I write?

Blog writing is a specific type of writing that incorporates creative formatting, header use, and media or other external sources to strengthen content. You will create blog content that is informational, creative, and reflective. Prompts and idea starters will be provided to help guide your writing. Each blog post should be a minimum of 400 words. Blog posts are due on Sundays at 11:59pm. Whatever you write, should be unique to you and your ideas. Prompts and idea starters will be provided to help guide your writing. You may have to do additional research outside of the course modules to complete you blog posts.

Should I use headers?

Yes! Headers, like the ones you see here add to readability and help people skim information. Headers are recommended for blog writing. So, let’s get used to using them in blog writing now!

Should I use feature images or other media?

Yes! This is another good practice for blog writing. In the real-world images and media will boost engagement with your blog posts, which can then be beneficial for your brand or business. However, media should be purposeful when its used. Its inclusion should add to the blog writing not take away from it. We will practice using some media today.

How will I be graded?

Each blog post will be worth 40 points. You will submit the permalink to your post on Carmen for grading. Blog posts are due on Sundays at 11:59pm. Each blog post should be a minimum of 400 words. The grading rubric is below.

Blog writing is an important skill used by many businesses today. My hope is that the blog you keep in this class will help you become comfortable with blog writing and basic web-design skills. As a bonus, the writing may also help you learn and retain some of the course content 😉

Let Nicole and I know if you have any questions. This paragraph is an example of closing paragraph – also if you’re curious this post was 530 words.