What my Mizzou education taught me

I’m a firm believer that working hard will get you where you want to be and that as long as you have determination, passion, and an open mind you’ll get wherever you want to be. But I do believe there are things that can help push along your path to success with a “boost.” For me, that was my education at the University of Missouri- Columbia (a.k.a Mizzou).

Mizzou is arguably one of the best journalism schools in the nation. It was actually the first-ever journalism school. The thing that really sets this school apart from others is the Missouri Method experience. During my four years, I worked at the TV station owned by the university, it’s called KOMU. KOMU is a real NBC and CW affiliate that actually competes against the other two stations in the market. The main anchors for morning and evening are actually full-time staff and work as mentors to the students who pass through. There were also several full-timers working to mentor reporters, producers, and everyone in general. During my time there I was a reporter, anchor, producer, digital producer, along with desk and production assistant. I learned almost every job and get lots of experience going live in the field and turning stories for daily newscasts.

While my Mizzou education arguably gave me a leg up in my job search, it also hindered me in different ways. I already knew what a newsroom looked like so I had this perception of what one was supposed to be. Obviously, my first newsroom was not going to be the same, but I wish it had been. But also, I came into my first job and struggled to not pull the “I went to Mizzou” card. No one wants to hear that, but I found myself explaining something and then adding the phrase…“that’s how we did it at my old station.” I did this a lot at the beginning and I’m sure none of my co-workers liked hearing that, especially during my first few months on the job. I definitely have gotten much better at not dropping my school into conversations, but that’s something I’m honestly still working on. The problem with a lot of Mizzou graduates is similar to what I was experiencing, coming in all “high and mighty” and needing to knock themselves off their high horse (or have someone knock them off lol). In the journalism world, I feel like saying “I went to Mizzou” is kind of synonymous with “I’m a snob” (of course with context).

But I will say, my Mizzou education was amazing, and I am so grateful for everything I learned at the University of Missouri. I got to cover lots of big stories, like Missouri’s Governor Eric Greitens resigning, Mizzou getting hit with NCAA sanctions, the Kansas City Chiefs going to the Super Bowl, and an investigation into a missing Columbia woman. For that, I am forever thankful for the opportunities my education afforded me.

Xoxo,

Amber