What are some regrets from your Under-grad?

Wow, you want us to admit to making mistakes? Okay.

Biggest regret, was that I went simply to learn, and to "buy time," because I was not ready to have full adult responsibilities yet in the real working world! I did not have a career focus whatsoever (school was not nearly as expensive back then!) I wish I had not shied away from difficult courses. There was one, Moot Court, that was offered only upon invitation of the professor. I was invited. I turned it down, because I had zero confidence in myself and my abilities. I should have trusted the professor's judgement! The same professor also placed me in an awesome unpaid internship, with a top-notch investigative reporter, but I dropped it after making an embarrassing mistake on the first day.

Had I known what path my career was going to take, I would have taken a core block of classes in Public Administration, nine hours or so, rather than "wasting" my free electives on Geology and Colonial American History, both of which killed my GPA because I earned only C's!

I also would have networked more. I am not a social person, at all. I think I went to two parties in four years!

Somewhat jokingly, I have always said that I wished I had written all my term papers on a different aspect of the same subject, so in the end, I'd have a book!

I think this is a good question. However, please don't be too concerned about making mistakes. I have learned much from my mistakes in life. It is how we grow. There will be many lessons along the way, big and small, that will prepare you to deal with the next big situation that you get thrown into!

Kim

Hi Cayla:  Regrets I have in my under grad time are : #1. I did not research enough to know what I really wanted to do. When I went to school they did not have Career Counselor to help people find their special careers. So I ended up getting a degree in English with an education minor in which I decided after I received it that I did not like teaching elementary school. #2. I wanted to major in Psychology, but to get into teaching at that time I had to major in an academic subject and Psychology was not considered an academic subject. I wish I would have listened to my inner voice instead of listening to my counselors voice because that is where I really belonged and found that out later when I took the assessments such as Interest and personality, they were very helpful and that is why I have worked as a Career Counselor for many years. #3 I also was very good in business, marketing, human resources, and Public relations and wish that I had taken some classes in that area because I did run my own business for awhile. #4 I am sorry that I wasn't able to take the career assessments at a younger age because they didn't offer them. If I had it to do over again I would head right over to the Career Center at the college and ask about their assessments. Usually they are free to students if you are enrolled. The point of getting a degree is to work at something that will not only make you happy, but will help you get up every morning and say "I can't wait to get to work!" Remember the satisfaction of a work environment is weighed a lot by how much you like what you do, and sometimes it takes time for you to Experience, get Exposure, and have the proper Education. These are My 3 words of wisdom to you and I wish you the best in your career path.

I didn't give myself enough time and thought into why I chose this profession. I broadly knew I wanted to pursue management, but to give myself enough time and look deep into the reason as to why this was my choice.

That is a fantastic question! In hindsight I wish I had tried harder at my grades. For me school was easy even through college. I was able to get by and pass with minimal effort. At the end of it all I got that glorious piece of paper however my GPA was nothing to brag about and made getting a job in my field much more difficult than it couldve been. My advice would be to stick to the mantra of "remember why you are here". Dont let yourself forget you are there to learn and better yourself not for the socialization and partying! (Though some planned stress relief isn't a bad thing in moderation!) Good luck and I hope our regrets become fuel to push you to a succesful college experience!

Hi Cayla,

Good questions. Overall I am very pleased with how I navigated undergrad but there are definitely some things that I would have done differently in hindsight.

I wish I had minored in something STEM or computer science related. Digital skills are really important these days and minoring in something during college that would have taught me these skills would be really nice. I am now having to learn on the job and it is much harder to do when you have a million things to do compared to a student in undergrad whose only responsibility is to their school work. People who come in with digital skills are also paid more and are of more value to a company so you are likely to be fast tracked and seen as the "go to" person for many things if you come in with a digital based set of skills.

I also wished I began investing in the stock market earlier. I started my senior year to put portions of my income/savings into the market and I really wish I had done so sooner given the growth of the stock market. Financial literacy is important and learning how to invest, what to invest in, and begin growing investments while still in school is something that I wish I was more cognizant of.

I hope this helps and I wish you the best in college!!

Best,

Austin