We all have one big question in the back of our minds: How do you get from a classroom to a career?

Career choices fly at you every day while in college. Which one is right? Where will you make the most money? And what do you feel passionate about?

The choices are unending, and there may be no right or wrong career, but the big problem is fitting classroom knowledge into real world settings. You will receive a degree and when that day comes, how will you convert book smarts to career success?

The students working in the Public Affairs Office at Sacramento State are getting the chance to work in a field in which they are considering a career.

The Public Affairs Office focuses on many different aspects of university business from promotions, event management, graphic design, media relations, to marketing and advertising.

The Public Affairs Office, a few desks and a couple offices in Sacramento Hall, make up the image-protecting headquarters for Sac State.

If anyone, media especially, publishes anything that even utters the name Sac State, the Public Affairs staff members are looking into it and making minute-by-minute decisions of what is right for Sac State’s plans and strategies.

In a world where image and public opinion are everything, the Public Affairs staff attempt to maintain a good perception of the university.

Spanish major Patty Garcia-Tapia’s intern position is dedicated to reading through local publications on a daily basis to find what is being said about the university and its students.

The Public Affairs Office aims to help future graduates by offering them real world learning experiences that employers are looking for.

“It is a way for us to directly impact students in a way other than being a teacher,” Associate Vice President of Public Affairs Frank Whitlatch said.

Whitlatch said the main reasons he prefers hiring students to work in the Public Affairs Office is to help with the workload and keep the office on its toes with student perspective and technological trends.

Emily Smith is a graphic design senior who began working in the Public Affairs Office last semester.

She works with graphic design in the office earning invaluable skills for her future career.

“I’ve worked on last semester and this semester’s commencement materials from start to finish,” Smith said. “Working all the way through the creative process has been great.”

Getting hands-on experience in the career field you plan to pursue is priceless, not to mention raising your chances of landing a job after graduation.

Smith said students may not be aware of positions available on campus that offer job experience and that more students should be taking advantage of these opportunities.

Valuable experience could be waiting in the building next to you, where students working in the Public Affairs Office read, write and listen to what others are saying about the university.

“I’ve been learning how the whole workplace works. In classes you don’t get to work with clients,” Smith said. “These are things you don’t necessarily learn in the classroom.” Casey Farrell can be reached at [email protected]