I can’t believe this semester is over and my time in JRN 450 has come to an end. This class was a wild ride, but I loved every minute of it. From the very first day of class, I realized there was a ton I was going to learn. What I didn’t realize was how much I was going to learn about myself.

Creating your own startup isn’t easy, but it taught me a lot about how to be a team player, deal with the ups and downs, and, most of all, realize what I like and don’t like in a career.

I don’t think I will ever be an entrepreneur, but I have a lot of respect for anyone going into the business or already a part of it. It takes the passion, drive and determination to start a new product or business. I don’t think I will ever want to do that, but I think if I was ever given the opportunity to be a part of a team of entrepreneurs, I would do it. Name an aspect and you learn it. You do it all and I think being a part of a team that could potentially grow into something worthwhile would be awesome.

If I had the opportunity to start something of my own and I really had the passion behind it, I would do it. To me, it would have to be something I know that people would want. I would hate to do all that work to fail. I know failing is a part of life, but it would possibly break me down.

I also think if I wanted to start something of my own I would need a team to back me up. A group of people that excel at certain things and could pick me up when I feel as if the start-up won’t work.

I learned an immense amount from this class and, honestly, I will take a lot of it into the workplace with me. I learned all about marketing, social media, advertising, writing, audiences, money, business, the list goes on. I think bringing the product to life in our last class when we gave our final pitches really showed me how hard work pays off.

I also learned how to follow a strict deadline, which will definitely follow me into the working world. I was given tasks that need to get done on a certain date at a certain time and I know how to do that because of this class.

When I think about my future, I have somewhat of an idea of what I want to be doing. I see myself working for a big marketing or advertising company. I’d be working on anything from a marketing proposal to the latest social media campaign. Whatever it is, I know I want to be doing something creative. I want to wake up loving my job every day.

My favorite experience during this class was definitely when we took the trip to Detroit. That really opened my eyes to the types of careers and pathways that people have taken. I didn’t realize the places you could go with a journalism or writing degree, and I was always worried I wouldn’t find a job.

After visiting Detroit, that went away. Technology is the future, and I am young. I can take something and go with it and before I know it, it could be the next big thing. I was able to meet people that do what they love and that really opened my eyes. I aspire to be like that one day and I really think I can.

As a final note, I really am satisfied with the way this class turned out. I learned so much that I can take with me in the future, but I also learned a lot about myself. I have to believe in myself and the abilities and skills that I have. No matter where I go and what I do, I know that I am capable of doing something worthwhile.