Yesterday we attended our first workshop at the Children’s Media Conference. Many thanks to conference chair, Greg Childs, for inviting Temple University students to take part in this session. The session is usually reserved for the students (mainly from Sheffield Hallam University) that will be volunteering during the conference. But when he found out I was bringing a group of undergraduate students to the conference, he invited us to attend too.
The speakers were:
- Mike Dee, Director of Content, Coolabi
- Dan Good, Managing Director, Absolutely Cuckoo
- Jackie Edwards, Executive Producer, CBeebies
One might think a career workshop is really only useful for college students embarking on their early career decisions– but I would disagree. Career advice seems to be one of the topics of interest to almost all my friends and colleagues too. Clearly career advice knows no age boundaries! These are some of the 
highlights I jotted down:
*You can’t predict your career path; it’s one step at a time.
*Stay connected to the things you’re passionate about– those are the jobs that will lead you on a path that’s right for you.
*Work hard! There’s no substitute for that. All three panelists talked about how they worked long hours, in less than stellar environments (at first), doing seemingly undignified tasks– but that was how they got noticed and were given more opportunities.
*Keep trying new things.
The photo to the right is of a poem by former poet laureate Andrew Motion called “What if…” that appears on the side of a multi-story university building. The photo just shows the first few stanzas, but they seem to touch on the idea of adventure and the courage it takes to follow your passion.
Sherri