Ryan Lytle, a 2010 alumnus of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, was welcomed to our meeting on Monday, March 14th. Ryan currently holds the role of Director of Social Media at Adobe, where he manages a talented team comprised of social strategists, influencer marketers, community managers, creatives, and social analysts. Him and his team work in various sectors of Adobe, such as Corporate, Creative Cloud, Document Cloud, and Experience Cloud. Formerly, he was the Director of Social Strategy at Discover, Inc. Ryan has also worked in several other communication roles as a video producer, tech & education reporter, community producer, social media manager, and was even a talent on an old “reality” show for MTV.
Key Takeaways:
- You career will never be linear. Challenges are inevitable, practice resiliency and adaptability to get through the tough times.
- Networking is crucial; take advantage of the opportunities OU provides to do so. Connect with peers, mentors, alumni, even professors to land jobs and internships. You can learn a lot from those who have been in the industry for years. Be sure to continue networking even after graduating college also.
- Be willing to be flexible in your career. For example, even though social media wasn’t a career path when he was in college, it’s now his job. New types of jobs emerge every day; be able to keep up with the trends and adapt. Be comfortable with leaning into new growth in an industry or company. Offer to jump in and work on various different projects because there’s always a need for extra help.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions and reach out to people whose work you’re interested in. Even if you don’t hear a response back, your efforts will set you apart from other students.
- Try to find people you work well with- and a company that aligns with your values. Get advice from network connections about companies you’re interested in to see if it would be a good fit.
- Imposter syndrome is natural and common. Try your best to not compare yourself to others and know you have your own unique path to follow.
Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn here.
