Entering the real world is invigorating. For so long, I had been told that the college years are the best years of your life. Well, college, so long!
The next set of adventures begins now. I plan to make my twenties the best years of my life, then my thirties will be better yet, and so forth! I shall be as an old Bordeaux... only getting better with age.
Many of my classmates have worked diligently to line up jobs postgrad. I have friends with job descriptions pages long, benefits contracts to impress even the most socialist of acquaintances, and better yet, a slew of new hometowns to explore. I, meanwhile, and perhaps as usual, am juggling classes, startups, and jobs.
What I have learned these past three years at University was that classes don't teach much. And what they do teach is never retained. Classes which handed out A's are just text upon a transcript now. First level Accounting classes are now a jumble of balance sheet and income statements in my head with a occasional dabble of cash flow occasionally.
So if classes were a blur- what was the point of University? The people.
I graduated three weeks ago, but before leaving I met with all my favorite professors and advisors and asked for advice upon entering the real world. Lots of responses were cliche or had been thoroughly explored in the self-help section of the bookstore. Those that were not I will try to spell out over the lifetime of this blog.
To begin: One teacher who spent huge sums of his time reaching out to students was my Managing in Complex Environment professor, Professor Bob Atkin. He taught every student to go through our business school and helped introduce me to the entrepreneurial scene.
His first point was to immediately identify your value proposition to the firm you intend to work for. Have a 90 second pitch ready to go when you need it. Whether it be work or even in social environments, you never know when you need to be on your toes and prepped to give a brief bio.
Focus on your worth to the firm or individual and be clear, concise, and creative. In this pitch, highlight your 1-3 year plans as well as your past achievements. Often in the cafeteria or even freshening up your coffee mug will lead to interactions that may affect the rest of your stay at a company. More on networking later. But these 90 seconds are critical- just make sure to get across you personality and make yourself memorable in a positive way.
His other major piece of advice was to take a break. Every six months or so, take a few days off to reflect on your career path. Think about: Where are you planning to be three years from now? Are you taking all the proper steps to ensure you have the skill set and the positioning to get there?
Sometimes you get preoccupied with the unimportant or forget what you were aiming to achieve.
