If the Taj Mahal met a Mexican Prison (on the Internet, in college)…
Two of my roommates are currently in a class that I’m enrolled to take next semester. Scratch that- a class that I am required to take next semester. The final project for this class is, in summation, to “develop your personal brand and execute a promotion strategy for it.” As I watched them scramble and stress to do this project, I giggled in my head a bit. “Bahhh,” I thought,” I’ve already developed my personal brand. I’ve read all these awesome posts about personal branding from the best. This class is going to be easier than cocktail waitresses in LA.”
Then my mental leprechaun strolled along with his club to knock me down a few levels. I felt like an insanely cocky douchebag for ever having such a thought, in addition to having a headache (it’s a big club, apparently. And when did leprechauns get clubs?).
Occasionally, thoughts similar to this are a problem for me. I think that just because I’m doing the whole Twitter thing, writing a mediocre blog, reading and commenting on others’ blogs, and attending conferences or tweet-ups when possible, that I’m in some way ahead of most of my classmates. And it isn’t just me, whether they’re willing to admit to it or not, this is something I’ve noticed from a bunch of students.
It’s like we think that doing the whole social media thing, building a personal brand or whatnot, will put us on the yellow brick road to professional enlightenment. And we are oh so wrong.
Social media isn’t the magic bullet, guys. Social media isn’t our classroom, it isn’t teaching us the fundamentals, history, and basic techniques (of whatever you’re studying). Yes, it’s a great tool for furthering our education, networking, and building a personal brand. I’ve been able to take core concepts from class and relate them to blog posts I read (links are some recent examples of posts that struck a chord with class material). I’ve talked with and been introduced to brilliant people I would never find in my classroom.
Engage all you want. Network, blog, read, comment, digg, stumble, and spin in Internet circles to the extreme. Build your personal brand like it’s the most important possession you’ve got. Go for it.
Recall, will you, that dime-piece blonde girl or guy in your Sociology 1000 class freshman year. Sure, they looked fantastic- almost unbelievable. Greatest thing since Twitter, as far as you’re concerned. Talk to them, though, and you realize that they aren’t sure what Sociology is and think Karl Marx was an X-Men.
That’s what your personal brand, online engagement, etc. is without class. Looks great on the outside, but damn, at least six-year-olds know their X-Men.
How do you balance class and Internet, among everything else college kids do? Do you think I’m full of it, that classes are b.s., and students should look elsewhere to learn? Are you building a Taj Mahal that looks like a Mexican Prison inside?
photo credit: wetsun
A few things I like about this article are 1. it talked about leprechauns 2. you used the term “dime piece” and 3. you talk about interesting points.
I’ve thought before about how I’ve learned so much in my use of social media and tried to compare it to how much I learned in school and then decided it’s not fair to compare the two. Everything I learned while earning my degree set up a framework for which I can apply and relate everything I learn through social channels. I probably wouldn’t even be interested in social media and how it can fit within a marketing strategy if I hadn’t gotten the education I got.
So I guess to answer your question, I don’t think you can think of reading blogs and tweets and such as a replacement for classroom learning (or vice versa). But you should appreciate how each learning experience complements the other and really give you a “leg up” on your peers.
P.S. – Did you at least have a chance to try and steal the leprechaun’s lucky charms?
Great point- social media would be totally lame if I wasn’t approaching it through the framework that class provides me. Like you said, class is what made me interested in social media, not vice versa (although I have found myself more engaged in class when certain topics, mostly social media or Internet communication in general, arise).
Sadly, I did not have a chance to steal the leprechaun’s lucky charms. Like I said- big club.
I was always one of those students that trashed every class for being useless and outdated. For the most part, I was right, but looking back, there are a number of things you gain from the classroom. A lot of it is work ethic. A lot of it is building up the ability to think critically, and to approach problems strategically. Sometimes, just sometimes, I learned something that I wouldn’t forget the second I handed in my test.
If you’re working hard in class, while also taking your personal and professional growth into your own hands by building your brand and experience online, you won’t have a problem when you graduate.
David
Community Manager, Scribnia.com
I truthfully learned nothing in college.
Although, I do have an excuse: I never went to class and played on the internet instead.
This turned out to be a great decision.
Touché. That’s basically what I did until this semester, and I was getting by just fine (save for first semester freshman year. That was, ummm, fun…).
Obviously, it has worked out great for you. But is it something that you would recommend to current students, or were you an exception to the rule? (yes, I am opening the door for you to glorify yourself if you please)
Love your humor!
Your point about the classroom and social media working together is important.
But you are leaving out internships!- they are that tool that teaches you more than either other and pulls it ALL together. And social media is a great tool for actually booking a potential internship opportunity.
My school does not have classes pertaining to the new methods of marketing- so it is vital that I engage is social media- other, more marketing focused schools, probably do teach these fundamentals though.
Great points, Bethany. An internship, provided it’s a quality one, is a great way to bring everything together.
Onto your second point, it’s the same at Mizzou for marketing, advertising, PR, and journalism (and other fields I’m sure, but these are the ones I know about). But I think that there’s always going to be a lag, to some extent, of curriculum catching up with the ever-frightening “real world”. I think that’s how SM can really thrive for students- as a way to eliminate that lag.
I was about to leave a comment that would come back to haunt me and damage my personal brand.
I could say something terribly mediocre instead, but I won’t.
You have far more figured out than you seem to realize. Just keep paddling. You’re closer to the shore than you think.
Ha, clever. Thank you very much, Seth.
So, I have been thinking about this post since I read it yesterday morning, and then re read it again last night. And I still don’t have a perfectly formulated response. I think that social media, and online “life” goes hand in hand with classroom. As with any extreme- it’s dangerous to be just social networking and not engaging in classes or even going, and visa versa, just going to classes but not doing any thinking about them outside of class. I feel like a lot of people constitute their personal brand with just “student melissa” who majored in philosophy and art history with a certain gpa and was involved in these clubs….vs. melissa that is a student, a twitter-er, a blogger. Noone is identified solely based upon their academic bubble that they are in for 4 years- sure, its a part of identity, but I really think on the internet, that takes a back seat and classes are just a supplement to your actual self. I know that I have became interested in certain things because of discussions from some of my classes, which i went and did my own research on online,ect…
I’m not totally sure if this fits into what you were saying in your blog, but it was my immediate reaction to what I read. Have a great end of the semester:)
Thanks for reading. I’m glad it got you thinking, and your point definitely fits. It’s all about understanding the relationship between learning online, learning in the classroom, and learning through life experiences. I don’t think I need to tell you this, though, as you seem to have found a great balance that’s working for you.
Good luck on your last final today!