#UONYC: Crucial Questions to Ask While You’re Here
Like: New City Who Dis?
While this trip can be about internships, networking, and post-grad plans for some, I think for everyone, it’s about self-discovery. For many, after graduation is the first time that your path is unclear. However daunting (or downright terrifying) that might be, it’s also exciting to make decisions for yourself, with fewer external circumstances at play (except the big one: making money. Girl’s gotta eat.)
That said, this is a good time to start learning more about yourself and what you actually want.
Here are some questions to ask yourself during your NYC journey. Just consider these questions along the way. You don’t need all the answers, because let’s be real, you won’t have a lot of them. If you’re not spending most of your 20s asking, “what the hell am I even doing?” I want to know your secret. If you’d like some smaller, more manageable questions to ask in the meantime, look no further.
Do I actually want to live in New York?
This is a good place to start before we dig a little deeper. Is New York calling your name? Or does it just seem like the place to be? New York is big for advertising and it’s great, but it’s not for everyone. And that’s fine.
While I could write a novel of reasons I’m glad I moved to New York, I’m sure if I had moved somewhere else, I could’ve done the same. I see my friends who have moved to Seattle, L.A., or Austin living incredible lives, doing incredible work, and being, well, incredible.
This trip is an opportunity to get to know the city. Can you you envision yourself amid the hustle and culture? Or does the trash, noise, and fast pace cancel all of that out for you?
I recently asked a friend who lives in the Bay Area why she didn’t venture into the city more. She confidently said, “I’m really a suburban person.” While I know I want to be in the city, she knows she thrives and shines away from it. If you know what you want, own it. Just make sure you’re doing it for you.
What am I looking for in an agency?
When we’d go around in class and talk about what kind of agency we wanted to end up at, I would usually say a small agency in New York. But once I finally got out here and started working at a large, well-established, digital-focused agency, I realized I really had no idea what I had been looking for and it wasn’t necessarily the small shop I claimed to want.
When you visit agencies, take note of more than just the glitz and glam of the space. Do the people seem excited about their work? What kind of clients and products do you want to work on? Do you want to know everyone you work with? Do you want a structured work flow or an agency where you wear a lot of hats?
Start asking these questions and use the answers to focus your search. Not only will this help you feel happy with your choices, but these are also great questions to ask in interviews.
What do I need to work on to make it?
While praise within Allen Hall is important and the feedback you get valuable, it’s not necessarily representative of the industry standard. Use that Allen hall praise to keep moving forward, but don’t rest on it. On this trip, I learned a lot about the work in my book, how I talk about it, and how I interact with people in professional settings in general. You’ll definitely be thinking about these things during the trip, but you’ll only grow from them if you take note.
Two things to get you started:
Ask for opinions on your book from people both new and old to the industry (hint: recent grads are usually very willing to help out and typically have more time to do so). I got some great (harsh) comments from high up creatives, and also detailed comments from junior employees. Regardless of what position someone is in, their opinion is valuable even–or especially– if you don’t agree. Once you realize everyone is just trying to help you, it’ll make you and your work better even if you don’t end up taking their advice.
Another thing I learned on the trip is that I feel very awkward when trying to network (well, I already knew that about myself). But in practice, I was able to pinpoint some very clear things that I needed to work on that I hadn’t discovered before.
Be open to all the feedback the city will offer you, and be honest with yourself about what you need to improve, too.
How do I describe myself? How do I work?
I had one interview when I went on the New York trip. And it was…well, rough. I immediately realized I had nothing in common with the copywriter interviewing me — a total ad bro. I was just trying to stay calm while also sweating from the humidity that I definitely wasn’t used to, while his style was cool and ~highly-curated~.
The one question that tripped me up was so simple. Describe your writing style. How did I define how I wrote? What made me different than the other writers interviewing (including a friend interviewing for the same spot)? While my interviewer said he wanted to do work that would “fuck shit up,” I didn’t even know where to begin!
I didn’t have an answer and I stumbled through it with my best guess at what he wanted to hear. Afterward, I knew I needed to reevaluate and be ready with my own answer next time. The way you see the world, from your life experience and taste, that’s what you have to offer agencies. Think about your point of view, and get good at explaining it. You can even do better than “fuck shit up.”
What am I grateful for right now?
When you see the Manhattan skyline for the first time, when you get to visit cool af agencies and talk to inspiring people, when you realize you’re across the country with a bunch of your friends…take some moments to be grateful. Make a list of the people that helped you get there (I’m sure some of them are on the trip with you).
Not only can you thank the people around you that make the list, but this will help you keep some perspective when it seems like the world is ending because you don’t have an internship or job secured yet (don’t worry, it’s not).
What’s the end goal?
You definitely don’t need to decide this one right now. Really, your end goal does and should shift all the time. I always found it inspiring when Deb would bring in amazing industry professionals and more often than not they would say something like, “Never did I ever think I would end up here.” It gives me a lot of hope for what my life might be that I can’t predict yet. In this way, the unknown becomes exciting.
In the meantime, you can envision any life you want, so you have something to work toward.
As you head out into the world — and hopefully keep these questions in mind — remember that discovery is the fun part. While it can be scary to not know what lies ahead, it can also be totally liberating.
Kate Rohrich is a copywriter at MRM//McCann. Her five year plan includes getting a corgi, finding the best mac and cheese in NYC and learning sign language. Follow her on Instagram.
