January 29th, 2013, by Gabrielle Barandiaran

One of our own Connect members, Tiegen Shaffer, left the nest of the School of Media Sciences—or as they referred to it back in her day, the School of Print Media—just about two years ago. After her co-op at Japs Olson in Minnesota, she found herself working her first full-time job post-graduation at Conover Tuttle Pace, an ad agency in Boston, Massachusetts in April of 2012. I got the chance to catch-up with her and ask her a few questions!

Connect: How has RIT’s New Media Publishing (Media Arts and Technology) program prepared you for your current role at Conover Tuttle Pace as a Junior Project Manager?

Tiegen: When I came across the listing for this position online it was like they had pulled the qualifications I had on my resume. Everything I do in this job I was in some capacity exposed to through the New Media Publishing Program. I am not only using my print production knowledge, but also my knowledge in the interactive realm. I deal with the account service team (the team that is “client facing”) as well as the creative team – so it is important for me to speak “both languages” and I think that my experience at RIT in the New Media Publishing program really prepared me for this kind of situation.

Connect: What coursework do you find yourself applying the most in your position?

Tiegen: The knowledge I use one day could be completely different from the knowledge I use the next day. I deal a lot with the printers and do some print buying so my knowledge from classes like Print Production Workflow and Riordan-type classes are very helpful. I am also involved with an interactive team, so knowledge on websites, emails and digital banners comes into play. The information I learned in classes like Web and Page Design and Graham’s Information Architecture class are also very helpful. And of course what I learned in Typography, Book Design and Digital Imaging, all are helpful on a day-to-day basis when working with our creative team.

Connect: What was the best/worst part about leaving the bubble of RIT?

Tiegen: It was so sad to leave all my friends and peers at RIT—especially in the School of Print Media. It is such a tight knit group of people. Everyone is so supportive and invested in seeing each other succeed, so leaving that was sad and hard, but it’s still nice to know that everyone, especially the faculty and staff, are really invested. I was also very sad to leave Rochester—it’s really a gem of a city—and isn’t as appreciated as it should be!

Connect: How did your co-ops prepare you for your current position?

Tiegen: My Co-Op at Japs Olson really gave me the real life experience in a print shop that I couldn’t have gained in a classroom setting. It also helped me learn what I should look for in a job – location, office environment, etc…

Connect: Now that you have been in this position for a while, what do you see yourself migrating towards in the future? The same thing? Something different?

Tiegen: I’m happy where I am now – but I’m not swearing to the advertising industry for my entire life – I’m only 23. I’ve got a lot of world to see. Boston is good for now. But who knows what I’ll be doing in 3 to 5 years.

Tiegen is a greatly missed by the Connect team and by the School of Media Sciences in general. We are always happy when she visits and hope to catch up with her again soon!

Visit her bio page at CTP here.