A collection of advice from professionals in my field

In my past three years of college (and even last year of high school), I have been fortunate enough to have received advice from many different professionals in journalism, public relations and the communications. From presentations to chats and mentor experiences, the advice I have heard along the way has served to mentor me and enrich me, guiding my passion to see results in my career.

I want to share a collection of the most personally meaningful advice here with you in the hopes that it can serve you as much as it has served me — after all, the journalism industry is quite small, and so it helps us to continue to mentor and foster the younger generations of journalists.

Here's a collection of advice from professionals in my field:

From CNN's Anderson Cooper -- Out-hustle everyone around you (get in earlier, leave later and volunteer more do more work). He mentions that the only reason he ever got his job in CNN was because the person before him took too much vacation days. Plus, one quote that often pops into his mind is"Sometimes you just gotta wear your armor."

From talk show host Andy Cohen -- If you want to go into the communications, you should try to get any and all internships (he did 6 in college). Plus, he recommends going into radio as it's one of the most effective ways to help you with speaking to audiences.

From the Houston Chronicle's Jessica Hamilton -- Start early when looking for internships and jobs, and delve into many different fields so you can find out what it truly is that you want. The best way to tell what you like is to try it. Your skills, your portfolio and your contacts will get you places.

Once you're in the newsroom, remember: "No matter where you sit and what you do in the newsroom, your beat is people. The stories are about the people," and "We are basically the surrogates of the people."

From journalist Soledad O'Brien — Try to understand the people’s point of view. Don’t tell just the story of headlines, try to understand the people’s stories and try to serve the community. Look at storytelling as a surface. You have the ability to share their story.

Networking is also so important: network, show up and do the job. Be the first person in the workday to work, and every 6 months send a thank you note to people so they remember you. Those people get you jobs! A pro tip is to add in your calendar to keep in touch with people.

Plus, if you want to be a truly skillful journalist, you have to read everything...from what you love to what you hate. Challenge yourself, dig into stories. Read a variety of the same story through different news sources see them in different ways.

Finally, just do the things that you want to do and surround yourself with those who support you. Find out what you want to do and do it. You can quit tomorrow. Don’t worry about the feedback that others give you when it’s just negative.

From CNN's Andy Scholes — The most important thing is to get experience; it's better to have 50 tapes to choose from to add to your reel than only 12. Don't be lazy about what you want to do, watch more reporting and stay later at your internship. In the end, it really comes down to luck, timing and your skills. It's also so important to crush an interview for a job. You have to know the answers, that's why you're there. And remember, you're only as good as your video (you really can never overshoot anything).

From Telemundo's marketing director and videographer — The mistakes you're going to do in terms of professional work, you do it in college. When you get to the professional world, you're judged by your work. That's why it's important to get creating! Do a vlog, a show, a podcast, etc. Plus, if you get a job, don't just learn about that one job. Learn everything and anything; they like you more the more you can do. If you can be an anchor, produce, and edit/shoot the video? You're getting hired.

Sometimes you have to know when to make sacrifices and when to say no.
Once you get one foot in the door, you've got it. However, you have to stay late, and you have to start doing your news and video shoots. If you're not doing it then someone else is, and they will get the job before you do. In the news you need to be a go-getter. You can't be laid-back. You have to do everything, be everywhere, but make no gossip. Stay in your lane.
Networking is so important. When you work in the same industry for years, you will run across the same people you worked with in different stations. Don't burn bridges with anyone. Also, keep track of your competition. There's lots of people at Telemundo who look at what other channels, like Univision, are doing, yet they're still friends with many people there.

Stay ahead and stay current with the newest technology. You need to realize early one when the market is changing. If you're a radio DJ and you see that the industry is dying, pick up another skill. Be a jack of all trades.
Be hungry, don't be afraid to ask. Don't let multiple 'no's get you down.

From communication manager LaRahia Smith -- When it comes to social media, it's important to humanize your brand and create a more engaging, symbiotic relationship between you and your audience. Look at your analytics constantly to see what's working and what's not. When you make a social media campaign, it's also good to touch someone on an emotional level. You can do this by looking into story concepts. For example, if you make a campaign highlighting college graduates, what does graduation feel like? It feels like running a race and making it to the finish line, hence the campaign might be called 'From the Finish Line'. It's all about flexing your creative muscle.

From CNN's Monica Serrano & Christine Zdanowicz -- When they hire for their respective departments, they're looking for readiness to rise to the jobs assigned to you, willingness to pick up skills, and someone who has specialist knowledge but can also have a hand in everything. They also look for creativity; remember, don’t be afraid to speak your mind about what you like/don’t like about the show or what they could be doing better. You should be curious about the world, passionate about journalism and talking to people and you should be able to write, research and use social media.

As for what makes a good story pitch? Remember to keep it timely (what you and your friends or parents are talking about), and make sure the story has a human and cultural interest. It's helpful for the story to already have a strong angle. As to how you find good story pitches... it varies. Sometimes an event is coming up, so you know it’s important. Sometimes you see stories garnering lots of track on social media. Sometimes you just have a hunch when an investigation begins for a criminal case. Truthfully, you develop an editorial sense over time. ​