From the NFL to exotic foreign locales, recent grads are putting their Purdue education to use in interesting first jobs

Rookie defensive lineman Craig Terrill

Read Terrill's columns in the Spokesman-Review

By Emily Hambidge
Journalism senior

By day Craig Terrill was enduring the grueling trials of rookie camp in the NFL. At night, he was putting his Purdue journalistic training to work writing columns for the Spokane Spokesman-Review.

Terrill ('03), along with Katie Hein ('04), Jessica Shepherd ('04), Jennifer Dane ('04), and Ginger Butler ('03), are putting their Purdue educations to use in creative and fun first jobs.

Terrill, whose main interest had always been journalism, got a call from the Seattle Seahawks in April 2004 that he had been drafted and was immediately on a plane to the West Coast. Shortly after arriving, Terrill was approached by the editor of the Spokane, Wash., newspaper. He was asked to write a weekly column about his experiences in NFL training camp.

Terrill said the paper had reviewed his press guide biography and was impressed with his Purdue education and asked him to share his stories with the public.

He tried to remember everything he had learned at Purdue and prepared his articles in a small dorm room that he shared with a teammate.

"I shared my observations of camp - the days were long, the yelling was loud and no one could be too friendly while we all fought for the same roster positioning - some things I was surprised by - players can be fined up to $8,000 for missing a single meeting - and the thrills of being in the midst of NFL greatness," he said.

Terrill added that Purdue taught him more than just how to write. He said it also taught him how to deal with people.

"I felt it was a huge advantage to be an athlete with journalism experience because it gave me an edge when dealing with the reporters in the locker room who seemed all too anxious for a player to slip up," he said.

Terrill hopes that after his NFL career is over he can put his journalism skills back to use.

"It was a short-term gig, but it was a thrill to see my work in print and to gain some professional writing experience," he said. "My fingers are crossed that after a long and healthy career with the Seahawks, the writing experience will help to serve as a gateway into my second career as a sports journalist."

Katie Hein

Hein ('04) found herself staring at the Acropolis during her first job after graduation. She was part of the NBC Sports team that covered the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

"It was a chance for me to enter into a field and show them what I was capable of doing," said Hein. At first, she handled minor tasks such as paperwork and compiling data to be entered into the computer.

"As I showed that I could complete these mundane tasks without anyone looking over my shoulder and within the fast-pace television industry, I was quickly moved into more exciting and hands-on roles in helping with the actual production of the sports."

Hein spent a little more than a month working in Athens, putting in 14-hour days. She said the knowledge she gained about the television industry was enhanced by the knowledge she gained about other cultures.

"While working at the Olympics, I not only worked closely with other Americans, Britains and Grecians, but I was also given the opportunity to meet and work with as many as 132 other cultures," she said.

Hein said she relied on information from her Cross-cultural Communication course she had taken at Purdue. "I remembered the different cultural norms and the sensitivity needed when going into another culture to work."

Hein, of Crown Point, Ind., said attending Purdue is a family tradition. "At one time there were three of us attending the West Lafayette campus at one time," she said.

She is currently combining her interest in television and sports working for ABC Sports covering the 2004 college football season.

Hein said the most important thing her first job taught her is "never give up on yourself or your dreams, because everything really does happen for a reason in life and there is a great lesson that can be learned from every tribulation and triumph."

Jessica Shepherd

CEDIA's 2004 EXPO

Shepherd, who graduated with a double major in English and Public Relations, is now working for the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association, or CEDIA, in Indianapolis. As a public relations and marketing assistant, she is responsible for writing the quarterly newsletter, as well as writing monthly articles for trade magazines and helping to coordinate CEDIA's EXPO.

Each year, CEDIA hosts a trade show that welcomes around 24,500 attendees. If an industry-related publication would like to exhibit at EXPO, Shepherd contacts them and trades advertising space for booth space. "This is one of the fun parts of my job, because I get great negotiation experience, as well as knowledge of publications and trade shows," she said.

She also works closely with EXPO promotions, which is an ongoing, year-round project. Shepherd currently is working on trade agreements and sponsors for the 2005 EXPO, which will be held Sept. 7-11 in Indianapolis. During EXPO, she assists in the press room, where about 400 press personnel came in 2004. She helps organize and host press conferences, distributes press kits, and handles general media inquiries.

"I consider myself lucky that my education is directly related to what I do," she said. "My Communication degree helps me actually apply what I learned in English - I use my writing skills to promote CEDIA events and create marketing pieces."

Shepherd said her job is fun because she gets to work with people who help her to grow and learn on a daily basis. She said always working in a team atmosphere is an interesting component of her job because she is constantly learning about negotiating and compromising.

"I hope to gain experience in my field and learn as much as I can from others around me," she said. "I am getting great experience within CEDIA, but I also work with outside public relations and publication firms. I work with great people, so I also hope to have a little fun - that makes the 'work' part not so much 'work.'"

When asked what she would share with students in the Department of Communication now, Shepherd said she recommends gaining experience in any way possible. She said this helps students to be more valuable to employers and find out what field is best suited for them.

"A Communication degree is so versatile that you can perform a variety of job functions. Evaluate what you like to do, the skills you have, where you want to do it, and look for a job that has those aspects," she said. "Most important," she added, "be ready to learn."

Jennifer Dane

After graduating with a master's degree in group communication, Dane moved north to work for The Adventure Centre in Kalamazoo, Mich.

The centre is an experimental educational facility where different groups come for retreats and must complete multiple challenges, learning to work as a team. Dane teaches group members how to accomplish their goals and raise individual and group awareness.

"The Adventure Centre's mission is to help individuals (of all ages) learn more about why they may act the way they do, particularly in a group situation, and the impact of these actions," she said.

The major components of her job include maintaining the camp's property, creating donor databases and advertising campaigns, and writing newsletter articles. Dane also gets to facilitate the activities - something she said is her favorite part of the job.

"I get the chance to meet new people every day," she said. "I challenge them with a wide variety of activities, including ropes courses. As an outside observer, I am able to watch and reflect back upon the participants and show them a lot of observations and questions that they would never be able to see considering how involved in the group they are."

Dane (far right) and staff of The Adventure Centre

Dane said that although her job is fun, it is not always easy. There were obstacles for her to overcome that she said have made her a stronger person and a better leader.

"There was a lot of uncertainty when I took this job. I have never done anything quite like this before. I had never lived in this area, and I didn't know anyone," she said. "Plus, I had always had a fear of heights and now here I was signing up to facilitate groups on ropes courses that were 40 feet in the air! I just needed to prove to myself that I could do these things.and I did."

Dane said the most important thing for people to remember when taking on projects that seem unfamiliar or scary is to follow their gut.

"This experience has taught me that there is no right or wrong way to do things," she said. "It is much more about learning who you are, why you are that way, and growing from the awareness."

Ginger Butler

Butler entered previously uncharted territory after she left Purdue with a master's degree in international public affairs and issue management. She is now teaching in Beijing and sharing what she learned at Purdue with students there.

Butler teaches individuals whose first language is not English about American culture. She also teaches public speaking and written and spoken business English.

Butler said her interest in China sparked when she did her thesis on China's bid for the 2008 Olympic Games. This made her decide to look for a job there. She arrived in February 2004 and plans to stay through July 2005.

"I wanted to experience living, not just visiting another country. I am also trying to learn some Chinese and decide if I want to pursue a career in teaching after leaving China."

She said being in China has taught her a lot about incorrect stereotypes. She hopes to share this knowledge with others. She said she wants people to understand that "romanticizing foreign cultures and people is not a helpful practice."

Her interest in teaching began at Purdue when she was a teaching assistant for Communication 114.

"The teaching experience made me realize that I enjoy working with students," she said. "I hope to be a good teacher who really teaches my students important English and life skills . I really enjoy helping students pursue their goals and dreams."