I seek advice.

I am nearing the point where I have to decide on a major, and start looking at careers. My question to you: What knowledge are you now privvy to that you did not take into consideration while in college, what things do you wish you took more seriously, and why?

 

I'm 30 - I got a degree in Music Education. Yes, I know a double whammy if you're interested in making a real living.

However, when you come out of school, regardless of career, you don't know $&*@ about how to get real work done. So, make sure you intern, intern, and intern when and where you can in your field.

Network often. If there's a professional organization for what you're looking into, join early and often, having a mentor outside of the school in your future profession can be a good help.

Work hard AND work smart. Growth of business (including the business of "you") is as much about analyzing and correcting process as it is about applying what "smarts" you have.

And lastly, this one is music specific: A practice room at Julliard looks pretty much the same as a practice room at a community college.

 

1) Do something you like. If you don't like what you're doing, you MAY still make good money, but your life will suck.

2) Your attitude determines your altitude. No one cares how good you are or how right you are if they can't get along with you.

3) Go the extra mile (or yard). If you work for someone else, be the 'go to' person. When they need something done quickly and accurately, be the one they ask.

4) Share your knowledge. Developing people below you frees you to move up the ladder.

5) Find a mentor. If you work for a large corporation, approach people who are in a position you're aiming for, and ask them if you can bounce things off them and ask for advice. Usually, they'll be flattered that you asked. If they're cranky so-and-sos, you don't want to be associated with them anyway.

6) Don't get a reputation as a water cooler gossip. It hurts you big time.

7) READ. Most people don't read a book a year. If you read for 15 minutes a day on your chosen field, you'll know more in a year than most people. Also, read some leadership/management books. I like John C. Maxwell, to mention one. There are plenty out there.

I wouldn't change anything about college. Ask people who've been working for ten years or so whether they're working in the field in which they majored, and you'll find a lot of them aren't.

College provides you with a basic skill set, and proves that you can study and learn. In most cases, a job has a learning curve, and the ability to master a new skill/process will be more important than what you knew going in.

As an example of what not to do, take a co-worker of mine. He has been in data processing since 1972. He has worked with us for two years. In two years, he still hasn't figured out what a ZIP file, or what FTP means. He's clueless. He has maybe six months' experience repeated 66 times. He'll be the first one out the door, if and when we have layoffs.

Well, I don't know if that's what you wanted to know, but that's my thought for the day

 

Isn't that the truth. I have a degree in Business and I am in network engineering.

As for the rest of DiamondDave's post, he's spot on.

I also agree with the interning. We hire all out entry-level professional positions from our intern pool. It's viewed as a 3 month interview.

One more thing to add - in the business world, it's all about quantification, particularly dollars. How much revenue did you generate, how much money did you save, how much spend did you avoid, how many customers did you make happy, etc. You always need to be able to think about the things you do in these terms and be able to put them on your review.

 

I agree, go into something you like, not something you're family etc would like you to go into. Take a few classes if you can that are purely for interest maybe not in your major. Try to travel during college, see the world while you are young. Get as good a GPA as possible your first semester. It's really hard to bring up a crappy one. Do an internship, even unpaid, in the field you want to go into. See what you are getting yourself into. Go and see guest lecturers that your school brings in. They are usually highly achieving people who you can learn some of the formula's of success from and some of the sacrifices it requires.

Also, party your balls off, but only once your have your studies squared away.

 

I agree with this and just about the rest of DiamondDave's post. I did my undergrad in biochem but make a living in computer programming. Life takes some twists, and what you decide to major in may not necessarily have any bearing on the rest of your life. Pick your major carefully, but just be aware that it's not the end all and be all of your career. In my case, I wasn't that great at biochem but spent a lot of time playing with computers (when I should have been studying for biochem ) and managed to pick up a few useful skills.

Interning is also a great recommendation. Being an intern first is a great way to rack up experience and set yourself up for a fulltime job right out of college. Plus you make pretty good money as an intern compared to other typical college jobs. The only downside is that it'll eat up a good bit of time, but most employers are pretty flexible with interns and scheduling.

And I'd have to wholeheartedly agree with that as well. College isn't just all about studying hard, achieving high marks, and learning useful things. It's also a time when you can have fun with relatively little responsibility. You don't get many such chances in life. Don't let it pass without having fun. When I was in college, I never believed people when they told me that college is the funnest time in one's life. Well, that changed pretty quickly once I got out, and I 100% believe it now.

Oh, and it's absolutely true that every job has a learning curve. No matter how much you learn in college, it's almost never going to fully prepare you for the so-called "real world" jobs. College mostly just gives you a foundation to build upon. So, if there's one or two things that you don't fully understand, don't sweat it. Chances are you may never use it in your life, or you will have to re-learn it anyway. Just get the big picture and get a strong grasp of the basics and you'll be fine.

Good luck and have fun! If I could have the college experience again, I would.

 

Well, I'm only 23 so I guess I don't qualify as an "old fart" yet, but I thought I would share my thoughts anyways since I graduated recently and have been in the working world for the last couple of years. All of the above is great advice, here's what I can agree with/add on:

1.) Be curious in everything you do. If something sparks your interest, don't be afraid to ask questions and learn about it.

2.) Be an intern. I can't stress this one enough. Many students go through college without doing one and end up graduating without a clue about the working world. College provides you with a foundation for communicating and thinking better, it will not teach you to be successful in the working world.

3.) Travel. Just do it. Hands down the best thing I ever did in college. My experiences while abroad were some of the most educational and memorable I've ever had. Not only will you have a great time, but you'll experience new things and learn how to use your mind in new ways.

4.) Take it easy. Keep your priorities straight and don't let yourself fall behind, but don't forget to have fun and enjoy this time in your life. Balance your life with studies, work, and fun. Try to figure out a major that works best for you, but don't worry if you don't find a perfect match - more likely than not you won't end up what your major was anyways.

Just look at me...I was an art history major, but ended up interning at several Film-related companies. When I graduated I started working in visual effects for feature films and now I work for a car magazine...who woulda thought that would be my path? Anyhow, best of luck to you - enjoy your time in college!

Jim

 

If I had to do it all over again I'd have changed my major to Pharmacy. Easy job, lots of cash, jobs and benefits.


Look into it if you are good with science classes.

 

there might be a relationship on the length it takes to get a functional degree in your profession and the stability of the profession, for example:

an engineering degree generally takes 4years

a medical degree takes considerable longer

look how flaky the engineering environment is right now.

 

Things don't work out the way you plan. But I never planned for what I was going to do when I graduated college anyway. By the time I graduated the last thing I wanted to do was work in my major (biochemistry).

If I had it to do over I'd have researched the job I wanted to do and prepare myself better for it. And most people don't love their job. That's why we call it "work." So I suggest aiming high, as far as income goes, and then you'll have a choice to downgrade your life later. If you start out poor it is not like you have many choices.