Goals change everything, and Collin Smith ’16 is living proof of this philosophy. From the second the Port Huron, Mich., native set foot onto Bethel College’s campus, he hit the ground running to achieve his ultimate goal of landing his dream job upon graduating.

“In college, I decided to focus solely on my career and getting a good job after graduating. … I had specific goals to achieve and somewhat [of a] plan to get me there,” he says.

Smith’s determination, coupled with the lofty career benchmarks that he set, has brought him to where he is now — a digital project manager with The Richards Group, “the largest independent branding agency in the
nation,” according to their website. Based in Dallas, Texas, the agency’s clients include Dr. Pepper, The Home
Depot, Fiat USA, and many more.

“I made some pretty big goals [in college] — the first of which was to complete a summer internship with a large advertising agency in a large city. The second was to get hired by either the same agency or a different agency similar in stature.”

He accomplished both.

Collin Smith ’16 stands in front of The Richards Group

By the time Smith graduated in December 2016, he had completed three internships, including one with The Richards Group, and had worked for three different advertising agencies.

Now the Bethel Communication major is overseeing the production process of websites, online ad units, and other digital media at The Richards Group.

“I’m responsible for seeing the project through from the beginning to the end,” says Smith.

The communication skills Smith acquired at Bethel have made his success possible.

“Being a communication major at Bethel has given me the best foundation to enter the workforce as a project manager,” he says. “On a daily basis, I am constantly having to communicate detailed instructions to several people. And because of the many classes I’ve taken on the subject, I’m more effective than I ever could have been without them.”

His key to success has been finding the balance between relying on God to provide opportunities and working hard to allow those opportunities to come to fruition.

“After completing three internships and having two relevant jobs in my college career, I trusted that God would honor my hard work with a good job prospect,” he says.

This is the advice Smith has for students just entering college or approaching graduation: “Create big goals and map out a way to achieve them.”

Learn more about the communication major at BethelCollege.edu/Communication.