Three Kent State alumni spoke to a group of students Wednesday about their future careers.

Andy Baskin, Lindsay McCoy and Shane Hoover discussed why they chose journalism, what it was like in the journalism field, how to handle criticism and how they balance their work and personal life.

The FLASHPerks event was held in the Honors College Library in Stopher Hall. The three graduated from Kent State with a Bachelor of Science in journalism, and they have all found careers in their field. 

Baskin graduated from Kent State in 1990. He has had many different jobs in the journalism field, but has spent the last ten years as a sports radio host for The Fan. 

“I chose journalism because I really thought I could change the world,” Baskin said. “And you can, but it is super hard.” 

McCoy graduated from Kent State in 2008 and is a weekend news anchor for WFMJ.

“[Kent State] is on par with all of the top schools,” McCoy said. “The education is really important.” 

Hoover graduated in 2002 and works for The Canton Repository. “If you aren’t willing to talk to perfect strangers about stuff they don’t want to talk about,” he said, “you should find something else.”

“The most important part,” Hoover said about success after graduation, “is being curious and wanting to go out and talk to people.” 

When it comes to criticism, the three said that it is easiest to ignore the bad criticism because you will never forget what they said. “You can get 1,000 ‘good jobs’ in your career, but the one guy who called you an idiot will stick with you forever,” Baskin said.

A popular question the alumni faced was about how to balance work and personal life.

“Remember what you want out of your career and keep your priorities straight,” Hoover said. “Sometimes you’ll get stories that don’t work around a schedule and you have to shift.”

As a passing reminder for all of the students before they embark on their future, Hoover said, make sure you have someone who can let the dog out.

Contact Samantha Simcox at [email protected].