Career Path Of A Client Services Director At MarketSharePR
Kayla began in journalism at Sacramento State's newspaper, the State Hornet, which provided hands-on experience and taught Kayla "how to look for that needle in the haystack of what makes a story truly newsworthy," before realizing the industry was changing; this led to a major change to intercultural communications with a focus on public relations to foster relationships between audiences and organizations. That career path choice then resulted in an internship in senior year which transitioned to a full-time role at the same company.
Public Relations, Intercultural Communication, Journalism, Internship Experience, Media Industry
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Kayla Scott
Client Services Director
MarketSharePR
Sacramento State
N/A
Communications
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Communication and Marketing
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Hands-on experience is invaluable: Kayla emphasizes the importance of hands-on experience gained through the State Hornet newspaper at Sacramento State. This experience helped her understand the changing media landscape and refine her career goals.
2. Combining passion with career sustainability: Kayla initially pursued journalism but realized it might not be a sustainable career path. She transitioned to intercultural communications with a focus on public relations, which allowed her to combine her passion for connecting people with a more stable career.
3. Internships can lead to long-term employment: Kayla secured an internship during her senior year at the same company where she currently works. The hands-on training during the internship was crucial, and her preparation at Sacramento State allowed her to contribute meaningfully, leading to a long-term position.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path? Please start with your experiences in college, any internships, or jobs that you had before your current role.
At Sacramento State, I first started as a journalism major. I wrote for the State Hornet, Sacramento State's newspaper, for a couple of years.
I originally wanted to get into journalism or some facet of media and gain hands-on experience. Sacramento State offered the opportunity to write for the newspaper, which provides experience in a newsroom. This teaches you what the media needs to develop a story and how to find what makes a story truly newsworthy.
Through that process, I knew I wanted to be part of media. This was years ago, as social media was emerging. We knew that journalism was going to change and wouldn't always look like a traditional newsroom.
Learning this while in journalism helped me specify where within the industry I wanted to work. I understood that journalism was a passion, but perhaps not the career path I would ultimately take. I wouldn't have known this without my experience at the State Hornet and as a journalism student.
Then, I changed my major to intercultural communications with a focus on public relations. I've always had a passion for connecting people with things that would mean something to them. While I did this in journalism, PR allows me to develop relationships between the audience and the cause or organization they might want to learn about.
This is how I ended up in PR, which wrapped all my passions from journalism into a sustainable and interesting career. In my senior year of college, I applied for an internship at my current company. I've been with them since I was in college, starting with an internship during my senior year's holiday break.
The hands-on training was exceptional; I couldn't have found it in a classroom or textbook. Sacramento State prepared me to be valuable in that internship, which allowed me to stay with the company long-term.
Advizer Personal Links
Marketsharepr.com, @marketsharepr on FB/IG, https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottkayla/