- I'm Jackson Pruett.
I'm a Auburn class of 2015 alum.
College of Liberal
Arts. Political Science.
Currently work at
the Greater Shelby County
Chamber of Commerce
as the Director of Business
Development and Support.
(calm music)
For me, I had been around
Auburn people for a long time,
and I saw the type of
person Auburn can produce,
the skill sets that they have,
and really who they are character wise,
and that was something I think I wanted.
When I started thinking about majors
and what type of program I
wanted to pursue at Auburn,
Political Science really stood out
as the natural fit for me.
It offered a lot of the curriculum
that I was interested
in and lined straight up
with the type of career
I wanted to pursue.
As I started looking for
jobs, I did a brief internship
in Elmore county outside of Montgomery,
and then landed up in Shelby
County where I am now.
There's really two sides to my position.
The first half is working
with existing companies
that are here in Shelby County.
Firms that have here for a long time.
The other side of my position
is on the recruitment side.
More traditional economic development.
That's where we are marketing this county
as a place for new firms to move.
I think a Liberal Arts
degree when done well
really can give you a
skill set that's unique.
You think about some of the skills that's
can be used across different career paths.
Critical thinking, communication,
how to be a good writer.
Series of courses that
I took that was helpful,
I was a History minor at Auburn,
and those courses really
gave me a lot of context
for who the state of Alabama
is, what the state's story is,
and how that narrative fits
into what I do day to day now.
Employers will tell you that they can help
you learn some skills
unique to their company,
but if you can come in with
some of the employability
distinguishing skills like
teamwork, and critical thinking,
and the things that a Liberal
Arts degree can offer you,
you can be successful.
(calm music)
