Hey scholars, this is just a short video on your portfolio assignment. I'm not going to get into a lot of the details because that is all covered in the assignment instructions. So take a look at that assignment sheet and be careful to read through all of it and follow those directions. But I kind of want to set up kind of an overview on this, kind of put it in perspective because I know sometimes, particularly at the end of the semester, things feel like...
a little bit overwhelming and maybe you aren't sure exactly why you're doing all the things you're doing. So anyways, this assignment is a requirement for everyone in communication studies, regardless of your concentration. You will begin this assignment here in junior seminar, and then you will complete it in senior seminar. And really, you'll complete it as you graduate to update it.
So I want this to be, this isn't busy work, okay? This is really intended to help you, it's going to sound cheesy, but get the most out of the program and out of your degree. So you'll include things like your study plan, and hopefully you've gone through and you've charted out what lies ahead of you, not only to get a degree, which we want you to get the degree, but to pick the classes that...
really fulfill what you're most interested in and want to develop in for personal life and for career. So also, we want you to have a copy of your resume. And so, you know, hopefully you've worked on this before. If not, we have services here at GSU that can help you do that, you know, as well as all kinds of things online, but encourage you to do that. A statement of goals.
This may be the thing that you have to spend the most time on for this assignment. But this is, I think, really important to have you, again, get the most out of this degree. Make sure that this degree is serving you for your interests and your goals.
So write about things that you want to kind of to master, to grow in as far as communication studies. You've had several weeks now of looking at what communication studies, media studies, what those. are and some of the different subfields. So, you know, you've been exposed to those subfields and hopefully you've seen within each of those some of the things that elements that those bring to human life and to, you know, our careers. So I want you to really highlight in this, in the goal statement, what it is you want to get out of this program.
out of this major? How do you want to grow and develop as a person to help you be the kind of person you want to be and live the kind of life you want to live? And then we're asking you for examples of coursework. Now, I recognize that, you know, you may be, this is junior seminar, so maybe you don't have as many courses in the program. But I'd say, you know, definitely include courses in the program and you'll add to this over your time at GSU.
You can add other things as well, at least as far as I'm concerned, you can add other things as well. You know, projects or papers that you are really proud of and you think are relevant to your goals and that you have set for yourself. You know, whether that's in general education classes or other majors.
Or, you know, other schools. I know we have a lot of transfers at GSU. So if you did something else that you're like, this was really good.
And I think this captures, you know, who I am and how some of my skills and knowledge base, I would say, go ahead and include that in. So again, this is a kind of a long term project for your time in the program. And I want it to be something that really serves you.
This will help you keep. kind of set your goals. But then as you, you know, continue in the program, you can, you know, you can continue to make sure you're on track for those goals. And also in those moments where you feel kind of discouraged and down, what am I even doing here? Which, you know, most of us have those moments.
You can, you can look back at this and say, wow, okay, I have grown. There is, this isn't kind of pointless and meaningless. I have grown and developed in this program and there's still more for me to learn.
And then finally, well, you know, as you graduate, you know, you can, again, look back and see how you've grown and you can brag on it a little. bit, right? When people, you know, what did you get out of those, you know, four years, five years of college, you can tell people. And this is important for, I think, for you to know, first and foremost, for you as an individual, like I have grown, I've got skills and knowledge, but also to tell other people, including, and this is kind of what I think a lot of people lead on with this assignment, future employers. So I know sometimes like the job market can feel overwhelming.
And this will help you kind of pinpoint what skills and knowledge you have grown in and developed while you were a student. This will help you kind of present yourself in interviews. For those of you who are kind of doing independent things, this can help you in terms of branding and saying who you are, what your expertise is, whether that's on social media or other independent work.
And this also gives you an opportunity if employers want to see it, you can show people what you've actually done. So you have the words in terms of the goals and the knowledge base and the skills, but then you also have, hey, here's a specific project. where I've done this thing. And yes, I wasn't. So you can tell these people, especially when they ask, you know, tell me about your job experience.
You can say, okay, well, this wasn't an experience in the job, but at school, here's where I did the kind of thing that you're asking employees to do. So here's, you know, the critical thinking, and here is the written communication, or even the verbal. presentation skills that you are asking for in this job.
Here's where I've done it. And so this, my time in school wasn't just kind of a waste. It was really developing the things that you want, you being the employer, that the employer wants from employees and what you personally want to do with your life, at least the life, the work part of life.
So hope that's helpful. Hope that kind of gives, paints a bigger picture of what this is. Again, this is... Submitting it in this class is kind of the beginning and you will continue to develop this project. And we really want it to be something that is practical and useful for you.