After reviewing my notebook a couple of times I tried to pull the most mentioned pieces of advice for students about to graduate and work in the field: a very strong portfolio, networking, entering contests/workshops, internships, dedication and efficiency. Even though I took several pages of notes per lecture from different professionals - these were underlying themes every time. The first two almost go hand in hand because trying to do just one will make you less likely to get hired. You need to have a great eye - and show it in that portfolio, but if that portfolio isn't seen (or seen by the right people) then you won't get work. And getting work is what puts food on the table. I was happy to hear that you have to do what you have to do to make ends meet; several of our speakers admitted working in restaurants or living at home to support in between periods of doing what they love or figuring out what they wanted. I wish my parents were in the room to hear that! This career path that my classmates and is more of a lifestyle than a career path. We have to live it, breathe it, constantly push the envelope and continuously learn to make it to the top. Now everyones "top" may be different, but in the end we're all just doing what we love and telling people's amazing stories. Sounds pretty rewarding to me.
I am still so unsure as to what aspect of photography I want to do into - for now I just have to make sure I can do it all. Shooting, editing, multimedia. But it sounds like over the years, professionals might not have known either and ended up doing a little bit of everything! In the end they might have decided to stick with one channel that they love, I am excited to get to that point and all of the stuff in between.
