Shonna Anderson
Communications Consultant
Capital One
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
When I was young, my mom called me the Jabberwocky because I loved to communicate with people.
I loved learning about people and their experiences.
Then in college, I studied anthropology and human culture and studied abroad in Spain.
After college, I moved to Chile, then decided to go to grad school to study IR and Comm.
Then I got a job in PR and decided I didn't love PR but loved marketing, communications and events.
And since then, I've had many marketing / comm jobs in different industries-tech, banking, nonprofit.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Communications Consultant
I communicate through pictures, words and events to engage employees.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Writing
Education
Being Creative
Day to Day
No one day looks the same! I could be writing articles for a newsletter one minute, work with leaders on talking points for a town hall event the next, and then finishing up by creating a new graphic to promote a new initiative. The most exciting thing about my job is that I don't know what each day will bring. I may have a list of tasks that pop up in the morning but based on what comes up throughout the day, I have to be flexible and adapt to new situations.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
You don't need a graduate degree to do what I'm doing. I pursued my graduate degree because I didn't feel I was done learning and had a passion to continue my education. I think someone in college should take writing and communications courses to prepare themselves for the field, but I also think the best way to learn about the business is by doing it. Get an internship during college and see if you like the field.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"You got laid off during the recession. Going on interview after interview is exhausting. No one is going to hire me."
