It’s graduation season, and that means one thing — I’m getting sentimental. As a member of the “COVID Class” of 2020, I still feel like I missed out on the capstone of my college experience. I didn’t walk across the stage to get my diploma. I didn’t get to taste Clemson’s famous homemade ice cream for the last time. And, I didn’t get to say goodbye to many of the professors and classmates that changed my life forever.

Thrust into a pandemic world, I threw my heart into my career and landed at Chair 8 and my dream marketing agency job. I’d been preparing for four years for this moment, and yet there are lessons no textbook, lecture, or pop quiz could ever cover. Those first months of on-the-job training now make up the day-to-day of my career.

Lesson 1 – Trust is earned.

College business classes sometimes make it seem like you will step out of your dorm room and immediately into a CEO suite at a Fortune 500 company. But the truth is, no one is going to hand you the keys to their brand on your first day and let you take it for a joyride. In an agency, we are trusted with not only protecting our client's brands but also growing them, and to do this you have to build trust. Communicate clearly, go above and beyond, be passionate, admit mistakes, and get personal — these are all keys to success in a two-way agency partnership.

Lesson 2 – F.I.O. (Figure It Out)

I think we all know that problem solving is a part of any job, but truthfully there is very little problem-solving in a college class. The answer is always clear, memorizable, and non-negotiable (something I very much enjoyed as a Type A, Enneagram Type 3) But in the real world, there are times that the correct answer isn’t always known. Maybe an email comes in that you have no clue how to respond to or you’re faced with an emerging platform that’s a whole new frontier. Those are the moments you have to figure it out — reach out to your network, dive into research, or lean on your teammates to lend fresh eyes.

Lesson 3 – We’re all in this together.

(Okay, be prepared that I’m about to get a little sappy.)

The biggest thing that college didn’t teach me about working at an agency is that my clients would be so much more than a job. I’ve come to learn that beyond the KPIs, bi-weekly meetings, and content calendars is a small business, a person who has put their heart and soul into an endeavor they truly believe in. That makes me believe in it too. My client’s victories have become my own. Their setbacks are mine to help navigate. And, honestly, getting to be a small part of their big dreams is the reason I come to work every day.