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Show , ..,,W0.1,tF, , WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2011 - DIXIESUNNEWS.COM , I , i - , , , , . H , P 0 1014,, ,,, I t, i o 44, : ) r ,,, .5". e 'It ,r - Lbt ,N N,, 1 A , ' ? , ( t) ; a A , ,, t , , f fL academic adviser for media studies, says starting preparations Excited graduates may face unexpected challenges upon receiving their degrees. Bryan Jacobs, is the key to success n. BY DON GILMAN AlpineDonaldo When the time comes to leave college behind and join the working world, the r ' transition for graduates can be challenging. Bryan Jacobs, academic adviser for media studies, said college students make r What was one crucial error when your favorite movie preparing for life after school: They don't start of 2016? soon enough. "What I find with most to Tweet your picks students is they don't prepare anywhere near as early as they should for that day coming," Jacobs said. "When that day hits them, I it's this cold surprise, and the realities of that is 'now : what should I do?' It's a great question they should be asking the day they start timm ,ashharrisonnews. 1 s, i , ; - ,,,i school." I Knowing what job you want, what prospective employers are seeking and how to market the skills you learn in school are all ideas students should be considering, he said. HOLIDAY SPECIAL Did you know AvereeRHeinlen great activists the world has ever known. On April 4, 1968, was assassinated Students on and off campus are seeking a more hands-o- n approach to their in Mem- phis, Tennessee. majors through establishing their own businesses. Mike Ropelato, a Dixie State University alumni who graduated in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in integrated studies is a of social media marketing agency Social Paragon. "My business partners and I noticed a problem when it comes to small businesses and their marketing needs," Ropelato said. "Each of us, having worked for different marketing agencies in the past, recognized a similar pattern only the larger businesses could afford marketing which left out the thousands of other smaller businesses who never had a chance to compete. We created Social Paragon to help give small businesses a marketing team at a fraction of the cost that it would take to hire an employee plus give them a marketing budget." Ropelato said he was celebrate this day, consider doing something service oni- ented to help your community '; MOVIE RELEASES .; : , 11 I !!!!! ,n,t,ili., 1 '''A',I!, ' ) 1, f',i'' .,, LI! flispf,l, ,,, vl, 1 ,,; ''''! li -,- 1,' It. 4' 1 I 1 ', ' ii (1 A ' '; 'li ,,. .', ,I , ;:' ' full-tim- college, you think you're going to land your dream job in your chosen field, she said, but you must be patient and understand that it often comes down to fortuitous timing. It is also important to have connections in your chosen field. After graduation, she did e work unnot find til August, Baird said. She now works as a producer for KTAR News in Phoenix. Douglas Sainsbury, academic adviser for biology, deals with a different set of issues for graduates: full-tim- was very smooth and kind of perfect," Havens said. Jacobs had another important tip for students facing graduation and entry into the professional world. "If I have any advice, it's don't think of (education) as being done," he s,:id. "Think of (education) s what pieces can you put into your shopping cart that are going to be taken on the journey with you while you still have the opportunity here in school. Then once school is over with, how can you use all those things that you put in that cart?" he said. DSU graduate Emily Havens found work as a reporter for The Spectrum shortly after receiving her degree. As the former for the Dixie Sun News, Havens said she exgot valuable hands-o- n perience in school working as a reporter and editor. Because of that training, she felt confident as she took on her new role. "The overall transition editor-in-chi- ef Tips for transitionfngto the professional wet - Start planning early - Be patient; landing that dream job may not happen quickly - If continuing to grad school, be prepared for a much larger workload - School is not just home- work and tests, it is also practical training meant to be used in a student's chosen field. ti y J n t e, BY RYANN HEINLEN born on Jan. 15, 1929 and was considered one of the 711";T7',17'11 I degree in mass communication in May 2016, Baird e unable to land the job she had envisioned, she worked side jobs to make ends meet. When you first get out of Most of the students in the department are moving on to graduate school rather than wrapping up their education. For continuing students, his recommendation is to get ready for some serious work. "The hardest you studied here (as an) undergrad is going to be even harder at your medical school or the master's degree you're going for," Sainsbury said. When students communicate with him after leaving DSU, they often tell Sainsbury how difficult the next level of education is, Student entrepreneurs offer insight to their success Martin Luther King, Jr. was UPCOMING ter receiving her bachelor's discovered that finding employment in her chosen field of radio was not going be as easy as she believed. "I think it was more frustrating than surprising," she said. "Why isn't anything coming together?" Baird applied for multiple jobs but when she was Jan. 16 Day? To The choices those stusuch as the dents make selection of their major should already be directing them before that transition is reached. A common issue among students who have come straight from high school is expecting that the process of moving to the working world will require little effort on their own part. "Traditional students who come straight from they're high school used to being handed off to the next thing," he sad. "Well, the job must be the next thing, and they'll have a set of expectations about 'it will take care of itself' rather than 'oh, I've got to do some of my own research and some preparation and legwork." Dixie State University graduate Tori Baird said the switch from university student to employment seeker was challenging. Af- 13 is Martin Luther King, Jr. King early -J- J1;11Itt : k ,q. --;t- v Ii Jon.13 "Patriots Day" "Monster Trucks" "Sleepless" ,; able to earn a higher GPA with his business mind-se- t because he didn't care whether the class adhered to his major and took on each course as if it was his area The most helpful technique Branch used to manage time was to keep a journal or calendar, he said. "I have trained myself to never start the day without of study. having a list of meaningful goals, strategically planned out throughout the day, month and even year, to be fulfilled," Branch said. Perhaps one of the most "The thing I loved most about having an entrepreneurial mindset is that I knew I had to learn as much as I could in fields other than my own," Ropelato said. "Most people tend to only focus on what their degree is in and forget about everything else." Wyatt Branch, a sophomore business administration major from Stansbury Park, founded the apparel company Live.Die.Sports while flying home from Africa four months ago. "All my life I have always appreciated fashion, and how it reflects your inner you, and being an avid sports fan, and former baseball player for DSU, the idea was born," Branch said. "The biggest hardship that I have faced, and what all new businesses face, is getting our name Out there. Marketing is the most important tool to having a successful business and, even more importantly, having a successful clothing brand." ut well-know- n entrepreneurs to have attended DSU is Don Watkins, who has retired as mayor of Alpine and returned to DSU as the entrepreneur in residence. As entrepreneur in residence, Watkins is creating his own program with the help of DSU administrators which would allow students with no prior business prerequisites to obtain an entrepreneurial certificate. Watkins and his family sold their home to purchase a motor home in 1983. They parked behind churches and in state parks while his wife, Peggy, taught their children. He drove his car around each of the cities 'to sell his products. Their nomadic business slowly turned into American Covers, Inc. Watkins and his partner sold their company in 2016 to Energizer Holdings, Inc. after more than P 33 years. C( al "The first years were very difficult generating enough sales to pay the bills," Watkins said. "In the first year, our biggest account went bankrupt, and we didn't know if we would survive. But we did." American Covers, Inc. became one of the key suppliers to retailers such as Staples, Radio Shack, CompUSA, Target and Km art. His company produced accessories such as mouse-padCD sleeves and wallets, document holders and much more. s, "My biggest supporters by far were my wife, Peggy, and business partner, Gary Deaton," Watkins said. "Can you imagine Peggy leaving a nice home and living out of a motor home for months teaching children while I was out selling products?" All three businessmen agreed their decision to start down the entrepreneurial path began at a young age. "As a young boy I sold Christmas cards door to door," Watkins said. Regardless of the time they started, each vendor al ' 1 c1( : 13( 11' VV , ,A ; at , 4 , at cc nm , AimaiamAA,-- ' Wyatt Branch, a sophomore business major from Stansbun Park, models one of the shirts from his clothing line. Branch running the small clothing line through Instagram for the pas' four months. th St all yo Jo de hy had similar advice for th,:$ a r who want to start their ow ie businesses. stu "No matter how many res books you read, advice yo I receive from other entrer a p neurs, or lessons you learr cru in school, nothing will ey' JaI teach you everything you der . Sal need to know preneurship until you just aft( jump in and do it," Ropel she to said. "My advice to tlie Sig looking to take a similar ahe path would be three things: patience; refusing usu about-entre- give up; and always, alvo: Wit believing in yourself." Ort |