Going into my second and final year at Columbia College Chicago is a surreal moment. The first year truly passes you by in the blink of an eye. I learned a lot about my varying interests in the first year and deviated a bit from my original plan. I do not regret having such a change in course; rather I embrace the opportunity to expand my horizon. The MAM program and professors do a fantastic job at exposing you to different industries/industry sectors and fostering new skill sets while helping you maintain your “arts focus”. Since I spent my first-year soul searching, I am set to reach a few goals this year. Here’s a quick peek into what I hope to get involved with during the 2016-2017 academic year.

I will join the Recording Academy Chicago Chapter. One thing I learned from being in the Arts Management program at Columbia College Chicago is keeping your mind open to possibilities. I started the Master’s program as a music concentration but have broadened my reach after working with classmates who have different backgrounds. I strongly believe that music will always be my first love, so being a member of the Recording Academy will keep me abreast of the music industry news and maintain my avenue for further music-related networking. It’s called working smarter, not harder.

Recording Academy Chicago Chapter Grammy Watch Party 2016. Pictured with MAM ’17 cohort (L-R, Brandon Saunders, Claire Grice, Brittani Alston (self), and Tone Ross)

I will attend South by Southwest with AEMMP Records. This conference has proven to be amazing. I want to attend for similar reasons I want to join the Recording Academy. I appreciate that the AEMMP classes that attend the conference receive credit for their work associated with the trip, and being able to flex my networking skills can’t hurt. Also, since I blogged for the Business & Entrepreneurship Department, I have developed some public relations, media, and journalism skills that I can put into play while at the conference.

I will organize my e-portfolio. I have heard so much about having an e-portfolio and no matter how small projects may seem, your work may prove to be useful skills exemplified for a future job opportunity. I have a few projects from graduate school and undergraduate school in varying areas that I want to compile just in case they come in handy for a future job interview. Initially, I will be using Dropbox to get them all in one place and external from my laptop in the case something happens to it. From there, I plan to create a microsite that will serve as an online business card (LinkedIn upgrade!).

Lastly, I will attend the Self-Employed Artists Conference/present at their Idea Pitch Competition. I learned of this conference this past April and think it will be a wonderful networking opportunity for my future career goals. Additionally, they have an awesome Idea Pitch Competition that will allow me to test the waters on my idea and hopefully earn cash for it as well.

So there you have it, my goals for my second/last year as a student at Columbia College Chicago. I hope for it to be inspiring for you to set goals for this upcoming semester because having that framework leads to a successful few months. Having an idea of what you want to achieve, even if you do not know what your end goal is, helps in making progress. The goal is to not waste time and have fun reaching milestones.

For those of you who are not in school, you can still implement this as well! This process is similar to setting New Year’s Resolutions. However, it is a plan of actions that are actually achievable. As we reach the final third of the year, you can rededicate yourself to your goals or set shorter goals with this convenient four-month timeframe to achieve them.