Marcy Guevara, MCM Candidate, Class of 2015
“You’re THIRTY!?!?!??!?” Cue jaw drop. Giggles ensue. It happens, EVERY. TIME.
That’s right, I am thirty and I am a Masters student at Annenberg… it wasn’t until I received this reaction more than a few times that I realized, I am in the minority at Annenberg.
I knew my first day of class that there were a LOT of youngins in the CMGT program, but I had no idea I was on the elderly side. Being that many of my peers are younger, I’ve observed various types of CMGT students. Some students with no direction, straight out of undergrad with no job and no where else to really go. Some over achievers, money hungry and ready to own empires at 22. Some even YOUNGER completing a five year program USC offers to get both a BA and an MA. Peppered in between some twentysomethings, an occasional forty year old and a bunch of wee ones, is me.
As someone who has waited until now to get my Masters, I feel strongly that there are a myriad of benefits to having postponed my post-graduate education.
Why?
I know what I want to do.
I’ve actually done a lot of it.
I have direction in my life and understand what I want to know more about.
Having this experience (in life, personally and professionally) has provided an incredibly rich experience for me at Annenberg. As research papers have been assigned and projects given, my brain goes instantly to the topics that interest me and that to learning more about things that will actually serve me outside of USC.
Now if you’re reading this and think I’ve got it all figured out. I absolutely do not. I just feel that I have a much better picture of what I want overall having lived a little past undergraduate commencement.
Since graduating from Biola University in 2006 I’ve worked as:
- a college admissions counselor
- an events planner
- a set PA
- a personal assistant
- a casting associate
- an administrative assistant
- an on camera host
- a stylist
- a social media manager
Some of my most recent work can be seen here:
With my ummmm… eclectic experience, I am able to draw from different encounters and relate them to my work at Annenberg. I have met more entrepreneurs and wannabe consultants at Annenberg than I can count. (There is nothing wrong with wanting to consult- I do- however, how does one consult on things they know little about or on organizations they have never worked in? )
I value the time I have spent working for others in more corporate environments, helping others build their businesses and learning from their mistakes and on their dime. In 2010 I decided it was time to take my ambitions seriously and try to “make it.” I’ve spent the last four years pursuing an on camera career and have seen some great success as a plus size style expert. This has left me excited to see where life leads, but ready to make sure that my off camera experience and education suffice the suits that I may seek employment or investment from in the future. I am at USC to take things to the next level. Thus far, as I look towards graduation in May, things are looking pretty good.
Whether you’re 23 or 33, make friends, get mentors and know that in the end we’re all just trying to get ahead so we can make an impact and hopefully make this world a better place. If you’re struggling even now to find direction… ask for help, seek guidance, build a network and use the community USC has built; look to those who have gone before you. If you think you’ve got it all figured out--- can we talk?