Pearson Communications Analyst Camryn McCrary talks about her experience as a Pearson Campus Ambassador and shares tips for how she transformed her part-time college job into a "dream come true" career.
Looking for the right part-time job while in college can be as hard as finding a full-time one after graduation. A lot of students want a job that will not only help them financially through school, but also provide them with the opportunity to grow within their chosen career field.
I am a 2021 graduate from San Diego State University (SDSU) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Media Studies. At the start of my second year at SDSU, I landed the opportunity to start a part-time job as a Pearson Campus Ambassador (PCA). The PCA program is a group of college students from across the U.S. who work part-time, on-campus for Pearson—supporting back-to-school initiatives, gathering student feedback for product development, and building positive brand sentiment.
Going into the job, I was already intrigued by working for a global corporation. What I didn't realize was how much professional experience I was about to gain from working with a local sales team on campus to employees from around the world.
I quickly entered leadership roles within the program and was introduced to different career paths. In 2019, I became a Regional Coordinator (RC) where I managed a team of 13 PCAs from across the western region. In conjunction with my RC role, I secured two internships: one with Pearson's Sales and Marketing team and the other with its Global Employee Communications team.
It was during this latter internship where I found my fit with Communications work.
During my internship, I completed tasks and projects that most college students rarely experience. I realized that this was the work I wanted to do after graduation and actively took steps to parlay my internship into a full-time corporate career.
Here are my three tips for helping to turn your internship into a full-time offer:
- Ask lots of questions: There is no better time to learn from professionals in your career field than during an internship or part-time job. I would always ask my manager at the time to show me new skills and to provide constructive feedback that would help me improve professionally, including preparation for post-graduation life. It also demonstrated how serious I was about learning and helping the team.
- Talk to other employees: Networking is key for college students who are looking for a full-time job. Even as a PCA, I would often have virtual coffee calls with employees from across the company to learn about other parts of the business.
- Treat your internship like a full-time job: During my internships, I gave my all to projects such as the rebranding of Pearson’s Glassdoor page and supporting the company’s internal communications by creating digital content and helping with strategies and global initiatives.
By the end of my internship, my wish slowly started to become reality when a new full-time position opened. Of course, I quickly applied for the position and was eventually hired as a Global Employee Communications Analyst. It felt like a dream come true. In my role now, I help support the CEO and other corporate executive communications by working with my team to produce blogs, presentations, video content, and company-wide communications campaigns and events.
I couldn’t be more thankful for the numerous opportunities that the PCA program has given me. I understand that as a college student, it can be incredibly difficult to find a job that you love, especially during a global pandemic. But I didn’t let that stop me from chasing a dream of mine. And little did I know, the program was setting me up for success from the beginning, guiding me to the company and position that I loved before I even graduated.
Camryn McCrary is an analyst in Global Employee Communications at Pearson
