As we all know, school is not the same as “the real world.” In school, life is a quiet little bubble of grade anxiety, dreams about the future and a (seemingly) never-ending conveyor belt of classes. In my undergraduate degree in journalism, I prepared for the real world by doing projects that may or may not have simulated real world work, attended classes in clothing that bore no semblance to business casual and only introduced myself to professors to ask for letters of recommendation. I had developed passing interests in a slew of graduate programs, which incidentally, were a far cry from journalism (this was pre-real-life-decision-making era for me), and I generally avoided all knowledge of this real world that I was supposed to be prepared to enter.
After four years, I donned a black cap and gown and crossed the graduation stage sandwiched between a few hundred of my fellow College of Communication graduates. When I stepped in to the real world, clutching a piece of paper as proof of my sudden eligibility to be a part of it, I was in shock. Of course, it was mostly my own fault. I hadn’t given thought to the fact that this day would eventually come. Four years had seemed like plenty of time to get it together. But suddenly, the day came, and I was unprepared. I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I grew up. In fact, without any real-world experience to support me, the only thing I was sure of, was that I didn’t want to be a journalist.
Six years and three separate graduate study experiments later, I was accepted into SCAD’s M.F.A writing program. I found that I had come back full-circle to the subject for which I am best suited — writing. And it’s not a little ironic to me that I now find myself working as copy editor for “The Connector” and “SCAN.” Without any real-world experience upon which to base my dislike of journalism, I had rejected it. But the truth is, I was scared of what it represented — the real world.
Since beginning the writing program at SCAD this past fall, I’ve had two opportunities to take classes that are structured around a collaborative project with local companies. I enrolled in Writing for New Media taught by Professor Darby Sanders, with a little apprehension. Although I had supposedly majored in journalism with a focus in multimedia, I did not know what new media was exactly, didn’t listen to the radio, and still didn’t like the real world.
What I discovered is that the real world is not that scary. In fact, it can be fun and interesting and rewarding. Throughout the quarter, our class worked on short 2-3 minute podcasts that told the stories of the AIDS Memorial Quilts housed at The NAMES Project Foundation in Atlanta. We interviewed some of the panel-makers who had sewn quilts for loved ones who died from AIDS, read letters about those the quilts memorialized, and wrote their stories. At the end of the quarter, a few of the special people working at NAMES met us at Ivy Hall to hear our stories. While our stories may not have been perfect, the NAMES staff was gracious, appreciative and supportive.
This quarter I have another class, Freelance Writing, with Professor Christopher Bundy, where we will collaborate with Atlanta INtown Paper to produce their July issue. Last Monday we sat down with owner and publisher Wendy Binns and editor Collin Kelley. They were full of great ideas, energy and excitement about the project. As a small business owner, Binns is also very knowledgeable about the business side of publishing, and her inventive marketing strategies promise to make the experience extremely educational.
I already had a certain amount of respect for graduate school before attending, but classes like these two, which offer the chance to get my feet wet in the real world, certainly elevate my gratitude toward the program. Like with anything, you get back what you put into it. I won’t just be turning in work that no one but my professor sees. “Real-world” people will be looking at it, too, and deciding whether or not to publish it in their “real-world” paper. I look forward to putting my best effort in to this and other classes to come, because this is for real.
Contact Rebecca Grace, copy editor.
