Life After Mac: Real stories of alumni finding their way — Drew
I want to dispel a misconception about going from school to the “real world.” It’s this idea that when you graduate, you take your first steps from inside the safety of academia and face the harsh, unforgiving realities of the professional world. I haven’t strayed from my strengths as an academic, and a commitment to continued learning has guided my professional development.
In 2015, I graduated from McMaster with a master’s in history, a frenetic sleep schedule, and no idea what to do next with my life. I’d initially wanted to continue on to my Ph.D, but eventually decided to leave school and enter the work world.
While I’d thought about going into public policy, I’d always been most fascinated about the way people communicated inside of institutions or how society and historians had helped shape and mold history. I also loved seminar discussions and debate.
Not surprisingly, I chose public relations.
While I had a background in research and writing, I needed to retool for a business-oriented audience.
I spent a short time at Sheridan College, which gave me a chance to build up my portfolio with strategic communications plans, writing samples, graphic design work, and web development.
I found myself in the mindset I’d had pouring over documents in the library as a grad student, except now I was out to discover everything there was to know about best practices and companies I wanted to work for. That meant picking up the phone, sending emails, messaging on LinkedIn, scouring social media feeds, and finding any excuse to meet for a coffee and gather some insights into the field.
By coincidence, I bumped into the communications director for the Oakville Community Foundation at an open house for not-for-profit organizations. After following up with the organization by phone and an email inquiring about the Foundation’s work, I landed my first job as a communications assistant.
I did a deep-dive on the Foundation’s strategic plan, which helped me tailor my skills to their needs — an important step in any job application or interview.
It was an incredibly rewarding experience. I wrote press releases, developed electronic newsletters and eventually took over creating content for the Foundation’s social media pages. At the Foundation, I promoted organizations that were supporting affordable housing, reducing the pay equity gap, providing mental health services and building a diverse and inclusive Oakville. I got a chance to support Truth and Reconciliation efforts in Oakville with the Mississauga Nation of the Anishinaabe, Métis and Inuit communities.
If I ever had suggestions, my boss’s door was always open to new ideas. That’s the golden rule in communications, your role at any place you work is determined by how successfully you can pitch and execute on your plans.
From the Foundation, all my future work was based on connections I made, finding jobs, references, and opportunities to grow. I see my time as a masters student as the starting point for my current career: juggling articles, emails, social media posts, presenting communications plans, and doing ‘elevator pitches’ at networking events.
As a history student, I’m a big believer that beginnings and endings to any story are relative. Mine didn’t begin or end walking out the doors of Mac. As a communications professional, I’ve continued to go back to my love of learning and a work ethic that I nurtured at McMaster. With my need for professional development, my academic life is forever connected to my life in the real world.
Andrew Ursel ‘15
MA History
The McMaster Alumni Association will be featuring recent grad’s career stories to show career paths are anything but linear. If you graduated in the last 10 years and are interested in sharing yours, submit your story by clicking here.
If you are looking to get started on your own journey, take advantage of the resources available to recent graduates through our partnership with the Student Success Centre.
