Have you ever experienced a light bulb moment? A moment of enlightenment, when everything just clicks and starts to make sense? For me, this semester has been packed full of light bulb moments. Maybe it's because I have rockstar marketing professors who make coming to class everyday worth it. Maybe it's because I joined AMA, a group of supportive, creative, like-minded beings. Maybe it's because I gained multiple mentors who are selflessly helping guide me toward my post-grad journey. Maybe it's because I'm watching all of my best friends find their niche, land their first jobs, and determine their own paths in life. All of this is SO cool. I mean SO SO cool. I can truly tell that everything is starting to fall into place, right as it should.

It's an incredible feeling to wake up every day excited to go to class and learn about a subject that genuinely interests you because you know the subject matter is going to be beneficial to your future career. That's just one of the many reasons why I love my SM Marketing class. Everything our professor has us do is for a reason. That 22 page brand comparison that I lost too many hours of sleep over? Worth it. The weekly blog posts that may or may not be read by a single person? Worth it. That $50 mandatory digital marketing conference in Atlanta? Absolutely worth it. Although I face challenges and doubts every single day, I'm finally starting to feel like my classes and assignments are meaningful, and everything I'm doing is finally starting to make sense. 

If you're not quite experiencing the same feelings that I'm feeling, that's okay. You will have your light bulb moment. Everything will fall into place for you eventually. I'm just excited to share that mine is happening. Right now.  And to whoever is reading this, thank you for being apart of it. Each day, I learn something new and fall more in love with what I'm doing. I cannot wait to see what next year, next week, and even tomorrow have in store for me because I am so excited to experience life as this epic story unfolds. 

Ever since the SPARKsouth conference on October 14th, I've been reflecting on, acting on, and absorbing all of the spicy tips and advice I gleaned from some of the top industry professionals. If you weren't there, well you probably had some serious FOMO, so here's an infographic that provides a brief overview of what I thought was the most noteworthy advice: 

My personal advice? Attend SPARKsouth at all cost--even if you are just a sophomore or a junior. I wish I had gone to an event like this sooner so I would have had a better understanding of the industry. If you're not sure whether or not you want to work agency side or client side, SPARKsouth will clarify that for you. Take advantage of these types of opportunities, you won't regret it!