The UW Oshkosh Radio-TV-Film department hosted a panel of three RTF alumni to inform students about the post-college job market on Oct. 16. The three Alumni included in the panel were Sarah Lind, class of ‘10; Melissa Loest, class of ‘09; and Keith Katers, class of ’77. They offered insight into what students should do in order to find work in a field that does not have a lot of full-time jobs available straight out of school. During the question and answer segment, a UWO student asked if the panel members knew what field they were going into before they graduated. Lind, news anchor and producer at Newsradio 620 WTMJ, said she knew she wanted to get into radio and advised that while the field is difficult to get into, it is not impossible. “Don’t be discouraged, you know, especially in radio,” Lind said. “It is a little bit of a smaller industry, and it might take a little time to find that first job, but keep trying and you’ll find it.” Katers, brand and consumer marketer and social media administrator for American Family Insurance, said when job openings came up, he took them. He expanded his skills by applying to jobs that were new to him and different than he expected he would do. When he was in that job, he simply did the best he could, and at the end of the day, he found the right job. Loest, communications coordinator at Girl Scouts of America of the Northwestern Great Lakes Inc., said she started out in a sales position but eventually realized the field wasn’t for her. “I applied for the administrative assistant [position] that was open, and took it and was promoted very quickly to be the community development coordinator, helping girls get involved in the program,” Loest said. Loest said from there she moved into a communication role where she was finally able to use the skills she had gained while working toward her degree. Loest said there are always jobs in media; students just have to know what jobs they are looking for. “If you cast a wide net, and are willing to try something that you may not have thought you wanted to do, it can work out exponentially because that job that you maybe didn’t want, is a job that could lead you to the job you want,” Loest said. “So I think you just have to be willing to take that first job even if it isn’t the perfect job for you.”