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What process did you have to go through to get where you are today?
#career #college
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8 answers
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Ariel’s Answer
For myself, it was about having a vision of being successful and having a great number of people who believed in me.
I followed a pretty standard route of education — got mostly As and Bs in schooling, stuck with a few extracurriculars, landed in a state university where I continued to get As and Bs and finished off my degree last June. I’m nearing my first year at my software engineering job where I’m making a solid six figure salary and living in one of those nice, gentrified apartments in downtown Seattle.
It’s a cushy life, and I cannot say I earned it on my own.
My parents emphasized a STEM education and threw me into an all-girls Girl Scout sponsored robotics team when I hit middle school.
I had awesome teachers in school who rewarded creativity and effort.
I continued robotics in high school and my mentors gave me a chance to be Team Captain, a role which took me a long time to grow into. Eventually I figured out I liked the managerial aspect of it (NOT EVEN THE TECHNICAL LOL) and I could exercise all my graphic design skills to build a “brand” for my team.
I didn’t have much interest in Computer Science, I actually scored a 2/5 on the AP exam in my senior year of high school. But my university had a fantastic program to level up students with no programming experience.
I survived every class by collaborating with other struggling students.
I was invited to live with a group of friends that I didn’t know very well and turned out to be the best housemates I could have. They provided stability in the hardest of times.
What I mean to say is that it takes a community to build a bright future. I couldn’t have made it without the love and support (yes it’s cliche but that’s because it’s true) of all these people and many other small interactions in which I developed a sense of confidence and integrity.
It takes a long time to know what you want, and even now I am still figuring out what it is I want to do with my entire career ahead of me. The important thing is to remember that you are not alone and you don’t have to do this alone. Sometimes you have to show up for yourself, yes (like for an exam), but other times people will show up for you, or you will show up for other people (it never hurts to take a few seconds or minutes to go out of your way to help another person!!), and it goes on and on.
I have a lot of what I call “down days”, where I’m bummed because I’ve been comparing myself to other people’s successes. In those moments, I let myself sulk in my salt a little, but then I try and remember that I have SO MUCH to be grateful for and that I, myself, have a blank slate ahead of me. Who really knows how much more I can achieve tomorrow? I celebrate the small wins, and I muster up the courage to move on.
Maybe you were looking for something more specific like “go to college!” or “educate yourself about finances!” but in my 23 years of existence, it’s always been about people. I’m not very extroverted and I dislike small talk, but there are so many other ways to connect with people that will enrich your life and pave a bright path for you like it did for me.
Hope this helps!
Be kind
Be courageous
Know your boundaries
Follow your moral compass
Be inquisitive
I followed a pretty standard route of education — got mostly As and Bs in schooling, stuck with a few extracurriculars, landed in a state university where I continued to get As and Bs and finished off my degree last June. I’m nearing my first year at my software engineering job where I’m making a solid six figure salary and living in one of those nice, gentrified apartments in downtown Seattle.
It’s a cushy life, and I cannot say I earned it on my own.
My parents emphasized a STEM education and threw me into an all-girls Girl Scout sponsored robotics team when I hit middle school.
I had awesome teachers in school who rewarded creativity and effort.
I continued robotics in high school and my mentors gave me a chance to be Team Captain, a role which took me a long time to grow into. Eventually I figured out I liked the managerial aspect of it (NOT EVEN THE TECHNICAL LOL) and I could exercise all my graphic design skills to build a “brand” for my team.
I didn’t have much interest in Computer Science, I actually scored a 2/5 on the AP exam in my senior year of high school. But my university had a fantastic program to level up students with no programming experience.
I survived every class by collaborating with other struggling students.
I was invited to live with a group of friends that I didn’t know very well and turned out to be the best housemates I could have. They provided stability in the hardest of times.
What I mean to say is that it takes a community to build a bright future. I couldn’t have made it without the love and support (yes it’s cliche but that’s because it’s true) of all these people and many other small interactions in which I developed a sense of confidence and integrity.
It takes a long time to know what you want, and even now I am still figuring out what it is I want to do with my entire career ahead of me. The important thing is to remember that you are not alone and you don’t have to do this alone. Sometimes you have to show up for yourself, yes (like for an exam), but other times people will show up for you, or you will show up for other people (it never hurts to take a few seconds or minutes to go out of your way to help another person!!), and it goes on and on.
I have a lot of what I call “down days”, where I’m bummed because I’ve been comparing myself to other people’s successes. In those moments, I let myself sulk in my salt a little, but then I try and remember that I have SO MUCH to be grateful for and that I, myself, have a blank slate ahead of me. Who really knows how much more I can achieve tomorrow? I celebrate the small wins, and I muster up the courage to move on.
Maybe you were looking for something more specific like “go to college!” or “educate yourself about finances!” but in my 23 years of existence, it’s always been about people. I’m not very extroverted and I dislike small talk, but there are so many other ways to connect with people that will enrich your life and pave a bright path for you like it did for me.
Hope this helps!
Ariel recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Life is a journey of self-exploration Jessica, and the more self-aware you are, the more successful you are going to be. Without self-awareness, there is no way to know your skills and strengths, and you may find it difficult to identify the possibilities that open up to you. Once you learn what you are capable of and explore your potential, you are ready to take the first step to figuring out what you want to do in your career.
GET TO KNOW YOURSELF BETTER
Self-awareness, which is defined as the ‘conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives and desires’, explains that you can only understand yourself better when you start focusing your attention on the details of your personality and behaviors. You have to look carefully at your thoughts, emotions and actions. The best way to do this is asking yourself why and how you do things. This should help you understand how you tend to behave in certain situations. Also, you need to take the time to evaluate your relationships with other people as it can tell you how you relate to them.
Becoming more self-aware means getting to know your strengths and weaknesses, what motivates you and makes you happy. It also means knowing your beliefs, personal values, recognising your achievements and failures and what these mean to you. Another excellent idea is to start with asking your parents, friends or teachers to tell you what you are good at. Most of the time, we find it difficult to recognise what we are good at, and we often need encouragement. People from your inner circle can give you some useful and honest feedback on what your talents and inclinations are. However, they might be too gentle or praise you, so you might want to challenge them a bit. Don’t forget that you also need to learn what you are not good at – your weaknesses, apart from your strengths.
BE READY FOR ANYTHING
Learning how to make use of the opportunities that are presented to you plays a huge part in your decision making and career planning process. Ultimately, without any action, there can’t be any results. The planned happenstance theory supports the idea that social factors, chance events and environmental factors are important influences when choosing a career or even when trying to find a job. This approach is appropriate in times of economic recession, unemployment and when there phenomenally aren’t many job opportunities in the industry – or industries, you are interested in. Planned happenstance is all about searching for hidden opportunities. So instead of waiting for fate to come and knock on your door and tell you what career you should go into, you need to become more proactive and creative in your approach, exploring alternative opportunities. Besides, you know how the saying goes; opportunities don’t happen, you create them.
Opportunities can come in many forms such as people, seminars, educational workshops, events or run-ins. Your job is to make sure that you are out there taking advantage of everything that comes your way. Networking can be a great help here by expanding your professional circle and introducing you to key people in the industry.
Hope this was Helpful Jessica
GET TO KNOW YOURSELF BETTER
Self-awareness, which is defined as the ‘conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives and desires’, explains that you can only understand yourself better when you start focusing your attention on the details of your personality and behaviors. You have to look carefully at your thoughts, emotions and actions. The best way to do this is asking yourself why and how you do things. This should help you understand how you tend to behave in certain situations. Also, you need to take the time to evaluate your relationships with other people as it can tell you how you relate to them.
Becoming more self-aware means getting to know your strengths and weaknesses, what motivates you and makes you happy. It also means knowing your beliefs, personal values, recognising your achievements and failures and what these mean to you. Another excellent idea is to start with asking your parents, friends or teachers to tell you what you are good at. Most of the time, we find it difficult to recognise what we are good at, and we often need encouragement. People from your inner circle can give you some useful and honest feedback on what your talents and inclinations are. However, they might be too gentle or praise you, so you might want to challenge them a bit. Don’t forget that you also need to learn what you are not good at – your weaknesses, apart from your strengths.
BE READY FOR ANYTHING
Learning how to make use of the opportunities that are presented to you plays a huge part in your decision making and career planning process. Ultimately, without any action, there can’t be any results. The planned happenstance theory supports the idea that social factors, chance events and environmental factors are important influences when choosing a career or even when trying to find a job. This approach is appropriate in times of economic recession, unemployment and when there phenomenally aren’t many job opportunities in the industry – or industries, you are interested in. Planned happenstance is all about searching for hidden opportunities. So instead of waiting for fate to come and knock on your door and tell you what career you should go into, you need to become more proactive and creative in your approach, exploring alternative opportunities. Besides, you know how the saying goes; opportunities don’t happen, you create them.
Opportunities can come in many forms such as people, seminars, educational workshops, events or run-ins. Your job is to make sure that you are out there taking advantage of everything that comes your way. Networking can be a great help here by expanding your professional circle and introducing you to key people in the industry.
Hope this was Helpful Jessica
Updated
Helen’s Answer
I had to work abroad as an intern, then I got accepted into a 2 years finance program from entry level employees, which have me a boost inside the organization.
Updated
Blake’s Answer
Hey Jessica,
I had to obtain my bachelor's degree and secure an internship. From there, I had an interview for the job before the offer. However, I think that the best advice would be to always be "ready" when an opportunity presents itself. When the opportunity for the internship came about, I said yes. I didn't worry about what would happen with "losing my summer" or anything like that at all. I knew it was the most important so I said yes.
Blake
I had to obtain my bachelor's degree and secure an internship. From there, I had an interview for the job before the offer. However, I think that the best advice would be to always be "ready" when an opportunity presents itself. When the opportunity for the internship came about, I said yes. I didn't worry about what would happen with "losing my summer" or anything like that at all. I knew it was the most important so I said yes.
Blake
Updated
Sloane’s Answer
Hi Jessica, great question! Where I'm currently at today is in my second internship and I'm going to be starting my senior year of college in the fall. If you want to follow the path of getting a college degree and pursuing your career in that field of your degree, I would definitely recommend trying to have internships before you graduate. My internships have helped me learn more about what I like or don't like in my field of my degree, what types of companies I'd like to work for after I graduate, and what skills I can bring to the table. But the first step to having an internship is knowing what you might be interested in.
It can definitely be difficult choosing a major, but my advice would be to take a wide range of classes in your first couple years to get a better understanding of the types of things you might love learning about and the things you might not like learning as much. In finding an internship, I would tell you to apply to a wide range as well to learn more about your different options. When interviews come around, just be yourself and express the things you want to learn and get out of the internship. When your being true to yourself and what you think will benefit your learning and growing in the long run, everything will work out just fine. Hope this helps!
It can definitely be difficult choosing a major, but my advice would be to take a wide range of classes in your first couple years to get a better understanding of the types of things you might love learning about and the things you might not like learning as much. In finding an internship, I would tell you to apply to a wide range as well to learn more about your different options. When interviews come around, just be yourself and express the things you want to learn and get out of the internship. When your being true to yourself and what you think will benefit your learning and growing in the long run, everything will work out just fine. Hope this helps!
Updated
Angela’s Answer
I made a decision many years ago that I did not want to work until I die so I started a career with an employer that offered a pension plan that allowed me to retire with years of service and not necessarily age. My career with the Chicago Transit Authority was 29 years and I was able to retire at the age of 48. It was a rich career that offered many opportunities for advancement. I started as an intern and through my career advanced to Senior Management. What am I saying? Connect with an employer that allows you to flourish and grow through the rank and file of their organization. Choose an employer that presents benefits that benefit you. Since retirement, I have authored and published a book and am currently working to launch a podcast.
Updated
Darin’s Answer
Well I decided to return to school because I wanted more of a challenge in my life and wanted to learn a trade but wasn't sure what trade at the time. It took me a couple semesters in before I finally chose a major and eventual career path after taking a Career and Life Planning course because I wanted to advance up with my employer at the time. As for that employer, I'm no longer with them because I felt like what I wanted to do with my degree they definitely couldn't offer to me and I used to work at Disney years ago so I decided to reapply with Disney since I can most definitely use my degree with them plus they offer a program that will fully pay for my degree which I plan on taking advantage of once I graduate from my associates program and go for a bachelors and maybe a masters or some certifications.
Updated
Matthew’s Answer
A lot of trial & error. What I mean by this is, I tried a lot of different things until I found what I really like. In college I switched majors a couple of time, and even in my "adult life" I have decided to change my career. There is no correct answer on how to live your life, just make sure to do what makes you happiest!