Like just about every college graduate in the country, I left school believing I had the very something the world coincidentally happened to be missing. I accepted a teaching position in New Orleans immediately following graduation and joyously welcomed the financial stability and personal fulfillment I was so obviously ensured by way of a college degree. Long story short, seven months later, I was living out of my boyfriend’s parents’ guest bedroom with no job and no health insurance in the midst of a polar vortex. Both personally and meteorologically speaking, I was entirely at odds with karma gods.

6.12.TW

Luckily for me, 20-something professional life can be quite forgiving. We can suffer a two hour commute, continue to justify purchasing “professional” clothing from Forever XXI (even when we’re clearly not 21 anymore) and get by on a minimalist diet of Ramen, Captain Crunch, and Oreos—all while maintaining a full time job. However, when it comes to settling for a job for the sake of a roof over our heads and food on the table, suddenly the entitlement kicks in and the “I didn’t go to college for this” mantra begins.

Life is a series of choices, and while some prove to be more beneficial than others in the long run, all present an opportunity for learning and inevitable growth. Now 5 months after my polar vortex fiasco, I am an author for my personal website, Yours Exceptionally, a regular blogger for the bSmart Guide as well as an active professional in the Chicago special events industry.  How did I do it? One mistake at a time.

Below are 4 mistakes I made that actually helped me find my dream job.

1. Crash a networking event

After leaving my job as a teacher in New Orleans, I was aware my life needed an adequate change. Unfortunately, my timing couldn’t have been worse. I no longer met the description of “recent graduate” (internships generally hire graduates who have been out of school 6 months or less) while the majority of entry level positions required a minimum of 1-2 years of experience. Eventually, I milked the one connection I had in Chicago (a friend of my sister-in-law whom I had only met once) and crashed my first networking event.

How do you know you’re crashing? Unlike the important people with fancy titles and pre ordered nametags, you’ll probably have to pay a fee. Even though the majority of my conversations doubled as “I’m looking for a job, please give me a job” ploys, I learned everything from industry terminology to major competitors. When I finally got called in for an interview with my current company, my listed references consisted of two current employees and one former employee, all of whom I had met at the networking event prior. The five minutes I had spent feeling embarrassed about constructing a business card out of loose leaf paper and a ball point pen were instantly justified.

2. Quit Your Job

As students, we are often told that commitment goes a long way, and for our parents’ generation longevity, in terms of employment, was far more valued in the application process. But like any natural progression, times have changed. For that reason, many entry-level positions have been structured as a 1-2 year commitments. That being said, with the market only becoming increasingly more competitive it is difficult to justify remaining in a position for 2-3 years for the sake of experience alone. A job is just that, a job. As guilty as you may feel about the possibility of personally offending your employer, it is important to look at the situation objectively. If your best friend told you he/she hated her job and thought he/she would find happiness if given another opportunity would you tell them to suffer through it for another 3 years or to go with their gut?

My rule of thumb is generally 6-7 months. If you’re still not happy at this point or don't see room for growth in the company, I would suggest looking for a new position. Begin by glancing over your company's calendar and try to align your resignation with a break in the schedule like a new quarter or a down period so they don't feel overwhelmed with the news. Additionally, this will give you enough time to seek employment elsewhere. 

3. Set far-fetched goals

I’m going to go ahead and assume, that if you’re reading this article, you’re a dreamer of some sort. My advice? Put some action behind it. Yes, there is a certain realism that must accompany the job application process but just like the lottery, your odds go up when you buy a ticket. You may not always have luck on your side, but with all do respect, idle dreaming doesn’t pay rent. Remember, all it takes is one yes to get your foot in the door—mine came after 4 months, a part time job, and 3 botched interviews. If you’re not willing to invest in your future, why should an employer?

4. Break the budget

Okay well, kind of. Initially, interviews served as the bane of my existence. More times than not, I woke up the morning of with nothing to wear and generally reasoned that salt stained boots (used to hide the runs in my black tights) were the lesser of two evils. Three self-conscious interviews later, I spent half of next month’s rent on the most amazing business suit I could find. After suffering a brief spat of post purchase depression, I was able to appreciate the full value of my newly improved wardrobe. I’ve worn the suit to every interview since, accessorizing with fun shoes, decorative tops and opting out of the jacket in more casual settings. Once you’ve landed the job, you can use your salary to add pieces to your professional wardrobe. You’ll be owning the board room in no time!

Finding your dream job is never an easy feat, especially in a competitive market that considers a Bachelor’s degree a firm prerequisite rather than an impressive asset. In other words, dropping the study abroad- senior thesis card isn’t the automatic buy in it used to be. In my own experience as a 20-something professional, the gap between college and career is far greater than I could have ever imagined such that the very same “rules” that attributed to my academic success seem to have hindered my ability to find complacency in the professional world.  Am I suggesting that higher education is an entirely flawed and ultimately unnecessary step to success? Absolutely not. However, I am suggesting that young professionals in today’s markets look at their college career through an alternative lens. 

Among numerous skills I obtained in college, such as skimming 200 pages of reading in 45 minutes, strategically memorizing a list of vaguely unrecognizable yet impressively pretentious vocabulary words that make me seem smarter than I actually am, and surreptitiously responding to questions with questions rather than admitting I actually have no idea what I’m talking about, college taught me how to think. The minute I began understanding my degree as a representation of highly skilled thinking, my professional opportunities expanded dramatically. What originated as an excruciatingly tiny window of ethnically conscious professions (I studied Race and Ethnicity in college), extended into just about every industry from special events to advertising to acrobatics in an international tour of Circ de Soleil. Because as soon as you understand your unique set of skills as the ability to think and reason, you’ll realize that the only set of rules you should be following or breaking, for that matter, are your own.

 

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