Career Advice for College Students (or Anyone)

Hints Life

I returned from a trip to my alma mater, The Pennsylvania State University, a few days ago after getting asked to speak at the History Department career fair. I was one of seven speakers at the event. We all had various non-traditional history degree careers (which was the point) and surprisingly we all had a very similar message to give to everyone.

  • Network. We all got to where we were by connections and relationships we had made along the way.
  • Get yourself out there. Most of our first job experiences were not what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives, but it gave us a place to start and a place to start networking.
  • Find something you love and specialize in it. This world is becoming a very specialized world and there is a job out there for just about anything. To separate yourself out – find a niche that you love and go with it. This really catapulted my business (WordPress and bbPress specialization)
  • Don’t wait for opportunities to come your way – make your own opportunities. So many people think “My boss will give me a raise if I work hard” or believe that if they do well – they will get what they deserve. This is not usually the case. Look out for yourself – and go out and get what you want in life!

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