David L. Williams II, '16

Major: Journalism & Public Relations

 

Describe your current job role

I'm the Multimedia Communications Manager for the City of Palm Beach Gardens. I work with many different city departments on communications directed to the public, largely in the form of video production, editing, script writing, graphic design, press releases and social media content.

 

What professional experience(s) did you have prior to your current job role?

Straight out of college, a fellow PBA alumni reached out to me and asked if I was interested in a field rep job for a non-profit political organization she was working for. Long story short, I gave it a shot because I needed a job in order to stay in the area, had no idea what I was doing, wasn't very passionate about the cause and failed miserably at that job; I still feel bad for the alumna that vouched for me. She believed in me and I let her down big time but learned a serious lesson from it.

After that, I worked five years at BallenIsles Country Club where I started in the Golf Department as a Guest Services Attendant. The Golf Director (knowing my resume and interest in media) set me up with an internship at the BallenIsles Community TV Station. The Media Manager of the community station took me on, helped me work on my skillset and eventually the Country Club took me on as the Marketing Coordinator.

 

What do you know now that you wish you had known about being a working professional?

The time I've spent at BallenIsles truly prepared me for what I'm doing currently, and sometimes, it just takes that one person to put you in a position to succeed; I took advantage of it.

 

How did PBA prepare you for the world of work?

The School of Communication & Media has a lot of quality equipment that is made available for students to use and improve their craft. Our classes took a very hands-on approach to learning how to practically use similar equipment and platforms universally. For a visual learner like myself, it worked out perfectly.

 

What advice would you give to current PBA students and/or young alumni who are about to start their first professional full-time job?

Be open and creative with the career path you take. It's good to be laser focused on your career goals, but I've found that not everything goes according to plan when pursuing them; failure to achieve your goal may happen, but sometimes being open to an alternative route on your journey can take you to heights you'd never think you'd be capable of reaching.

 

Have you been mentored by anyone in your professional field since entering the workforce?  If so, what impact has that had on you?

Throughout my time at BallenIsles, the Community Media Manager Lauren was my mentor, and she impacted my growth the most simply because she allowed me to exercise my creativity in a structured environment, gave me honest assessments of my work and encouraged me to learn and try new things. Still grateful to this very day.