Creative Careers Bootcamp: Get the Inside Scoop on Portland’s Best Employers

Sign up now for COMM327 – Creative Careers Bootcamp (CRN=8697), a course that wants to change your life! For the fifth consecutive year, Communication program professor Erik Palmer will be leading SOU students on a wide-ranging career safari to Portland. We will be meeting in Portland from June 17-21, 2019, and touring a bunch of dynamic creative and tech employers.

SOU students connect with creative professionals at Portland-based music licensing company Marmoset.

In prior years, our group has toured or visited with representatives from dozens of creative businesses, including Nike’s Blue Ribbon Studio (Just Do It!), Wieden + Kennedy (advertising), Instrument (advertising & branding), Laika (animation studio), WE-Worldwide (Public Relations), Mathys-Potestio (Creative Staffing), Mac’s List (Online Publishing & Community), Emerge Interactive (Digital Marketing), Pollinate (Advertising), Squarespace (Tech Startup), Cloudability (Tech Startup), Clarity Innovations (Educational Technology Consultancy), Conveyer (Content Strategy), Swift Agency (Advertising), North (Advertising), Ziba Design (Product Design), and Hinge Digital (Animation). We also visit or meet with companies led by SOU alumni including Lions Way, Marmoset and Embark Creative.

In addition to our site visits in June, COMM327 also features additional work on student portfolios, resumes, and social media after the Bootcamp, helping you get going on your career planning.

When and where will we be meeting in Portland?

We will begin each day at 9 am, and we will finish our official activities by about 5 pm. Our morning meeting location on the first day will be the Turnbull Center in the University of Oregon’s White Stag Building, Floor 3R, 70 NW Couch in Portland’s Old Town District. On most other days, we will meet at a coffee shop close to our first destination.

How will we get around?

Many of our destinations are in close walking distance to our morning meeting locations. For some locations in north or southeast Portland, we will want to share rides with students who have cars available or rely on ride-hailing services such as Uber or Lyft. We will have a briefing at the end of each day about recommended transportation strategies for the next morning. If we are staying downtown all day, you should park in an all-day lot. If we are driving out of downtown, you should rely on metered street parking near our morning meeting.

What else do I need to know about parking and transportation in Portland?

Most morning meeting locations are in downtown Portland, and heavily served by TriMet bus, light rail and streetcar lines. Transit service in Portland is generally safe, fast and convenient. Boarding fare is $2.50 one-way/$5.00 day pass. Online ticketing is available via mobile app. I know the Portland transit system well, and can advise you on best options for your particular route. If you are going to park downtown, I recommend the city-owned SmartPark garage at 33 NW Davis ($12 daily max). There are other private parking lots and garages in Old Town.

Where should I stay?

An affordable housing option that you might consider includes the Northwest Portland Hostel, 425 NW 18th. It has dorm-style accommodation available for $30/night, and is conveniently located for our needs. Book soon to secure a spot during the busy summer season. You might also consider the McMenamins White Eagle, 836 N. Russell Street, $55-75.

What should I wear?

Portland’s business culture is very casual, and we will be walking to many of our destinations, so I recommend against any kind of conservative business attire. However, we also want to avoid going to the opposite extreme, and it is possible that some of our hosts will be a bit more or a bit less formal than others. Shorts = NO, Sleeves = YES. Think casual, comfortable and tidy, wear good shoes for walking, and you should be good-to-go. Even in June, there is always the possibility of cool weather and rain in Portland, so bring a light rain jacket.

What about meals?

You should plan on securing your own breakfast or getting something to eat at our coffee shop meeting points before 9am. We will generally have lunch together each day, probably at affordable locations such as food carts or brewpubs. After our tours are done each day, we will typically try to participate in a networking happy hour or mixer. These after-hours events are optional, but will also provide another affordable dining opportunity. You are not required to participate in any meals as part of the course, and may choose other dining options to suit your personal needs.

I have a documented disability. What should I do?

Please alert the instructor right away, so we can confirm that we will have the resources available in Portland to fulfill your accommodation. Everyone in this course should also be aware that we will be walking to most of our destinations in downtown Portland. If you have any concerns about walking distances in the range of 1/2 mile to a mile, then please let check in and discuss alternatives.