If the Taj Mahal met a Mexican Prison (on the Internet, in college)…
Two of my roommates are currently in a class that I’m enrolled to take next semester. Scratch that- a class that I am required to take next semester. The final project for this class is, in summation, to “develop your personal brand and execute a promotion strategy for it.” As I watched them scramble and stress to do this project, I giggled in my head a bit. “Bahhh,” I thought,” I’ve already developed my personal brand. I’ve read all these awesome posts about personal branding from the best. This class is going to be easier than cocktail waitresses in LA.”
Then my mental leprechaun strolled along with his club to knock me down a few levels. I felt like an insanely cocky douchebag for ever having such a thought, in addition to having a headache (it’s a big club, apparently. And when did leprechauns get clubs?).
Occasionally, thoughts similar to this are a problem for me. I think that just because I’m doing the whole Twitter thing, writing a mediocre blog, reading and commenting on others’ blogs, and attending conferences or tweet-ups when possible, that I’m in some way ahead of most of my classmates. And it isn’t just me, whether they’re willing to admit to it or not, this is something I’ve noticed from a bunch of students.
It’s like we think that doing the whole social media thing, building a personal brand or whatnot, will put us on the yellow brick road to professional enlightenment. And we are oh so wrong.
Social media isn’t the magic bullet, guys. Social media isn’t our classroom, it isn’t teaching us the fundamentals, history, and basic techniques (of whatever you’re studying). Yes, it’s a great tool for furthering our education, networking, and building a personal brand. I’ve been able to take core concepts from class and relate them to blog posts I read (links are some recent examples of posts that struck a chord with class material). I’ve talked with and been introduced to brilliant people I would never find in my classroom.
Engage all you want. Network, blog, read, comment, digg, stumble, and spin in Internet circles to the extreme. Build your personal brand like it’s the most important possession you’ve got. Go for it.
Recall, will you, that dime-piece blonde girl or guy in your Sociology 1000 class freshman year. Sure, they looked fantastic- almost unbelievable. Greatest thing since Twitter, as far as you’re concerned. Talk to them, though, and you realize that they aren’t sure what Sociology is and think Karl Marx was an X-Men.
That’s what your personal brand, online engagement, etc. is without class. Looks great on the outside, but damn, at least six-year-olds know their X-Men.
How do you balance class and Internet, among everything else college kids do? Do you think I’m full of it, that classes are b.s., and students should look elsewhere to learn? Are you building a Taj Mahal that looks like a Mexican Prison inside?
photo credit: wetsun
