Heads: 4 years of college (5 or 6 for some of us) has transformed you into a solution producing machine! You can walk into any situation or company and identify, evaluate, strategize, and execute a plan for a solution. 4 years of college has also probably transformed you into a complete degenerate.
Tails: The average college graduate has spent 4 years in sweatpants and t-shirts rolling out of bed at noon and rushing to classes that are mandatory and probably having their pals sign in for them 50% of the time anyway. An ability to get the most out of anything with the least amount of effort has become somewhat of an effortless skill.
The tassel has turned and the coin has flipped, and now you have to actual be the person you were pretending to be for those awkward winter/spring breaks you spent with your family. It is so important to accept the fact that Thirst-Thursday is no longer the highlight of your week and being king of the pong table has lost its luster.
All is not lost. There was an immense amount of applicable knowledge you were able to absorb. The fact that you have earned a degree says something about you. You are certainly not dumb. You are more than adequate and you will excel as a professional so long as you put in the effort.
Start to become that which you aspire to become. Mimic the behavior and the attitude of someone successful in your desired field of work. Dress like a champion and act like a champion. This does not mean that you will have to abandon who you feel you truly are. You can still be fun and do the things you love, but I guarantee you that once you become career oriented most of those things you believe you cannot live without will become less appealing.
Drop the X-box controller and delete college humor from your favorites bar. It is time to suit up, shake hands, and be the person you went to college to be. You owe it to yourself to succeed. Work toward being efficient with your time and efforts. Focus on becoming the best at whatever you choose to do and associate yourself with positive individuals who will help you along the way. Be open to new experiences and put yourself out there for criticism. I assure you that the real world is quite rewarding if you can find it within yourself to bring value to it.
The job market is grim. Your debt is not going anywhere. Your degree has a shelf life. It is vital to your future that you sharpen your skills on this new side of the coin you are living on.Time is not your friend here, the things you do after college will play a heavy role in the quality of your life for decades to come. Let the fear of failure scare you into taking responsibility for where you will be in the future.
You are promised nothing despite expecting everything.
Respectfully,
DC
Monday, December 12, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
"Don't assume those chairs are for sitting" Showing up is half the battle.
Scene: Standing in line for my first Jr. High dance- ticket in hand, some slick new shoes on my awkwardly large feet, and a stomach full of butterflies. What the heck am I doing here? What if she won't dance with me? What if my friends get asked to dance and I don't? What if all I get out of this a stomach full of cheap cookies and Tang?
I turn the corner to our school cafeteria and see that there are chairs surrounding the dance floor- I take a seat like every other nervous wreck attending.
A volunteer chaperone nudges my shoulder and says one of the most frightening/insightful statements I have ever digested "Don't assume these chairs are for sitting." What the heck was he saying? My fight or flight mechanism had me standing in the middle of the dance floor.
I had an option... perform or call Mom to pick me up. I had a phenomenal time and realized then that showing up is important but taking the risk and stepping outside of my comfort zone was the reason for my successful Jr. High dance.
Cool story, Dan.... I can literally hear half of my core group of pals saying this to themselves right now. Relax I am going somewhere with this.
You can fast forward from your awkward Jr. High dance and find yourself in a similar situation. Instead you are now 20 something and you have on your corporate camouflage and a resume in-hand. Those same questions come back- What the heck am I doing here? What if they won't hire me? What if they hire these other guys? What if all I get from this is a handshake and a stomach full of Starbucks?
"Don't assume those chairs are for sitting" Show up to every interview and job fair you can attend. Show up to meet and greets and professional events. Show up with the mentality that the chairs aren't for sitting. Do not assume your dream job will walk up to you and ask for the dance. You need to put yourself out there in front of potential rejection and show off your skills.
Show up-Hand in your ticket (your resume)-and start dancing. One last thing-the fear that comes when you approach unfamiliarity or challenge is THEE best indicator that you need to dive right in and get the experience.
Shout out to whoever that creepy chaperone was who inspired this post!
With Much Respect,
Mr. Daniel Clark
I turn the corner to our school cafeteria and see that there are chairs surrounding the dance floor- I take a seat like every other nervous wreck attending.
A volunteer chaperone nudges my shoulder and says one of the most frightening/insightful statements I have ever digested "Don't assume these chairs are for sitting." What the heck was he saying? My fight or flight mechanism had me standing in the middle of the dance floor.
I had an option... perform or call Mom to pick me up. I had a phenomenal time and realized then that showing up is important but taking the risk and stepping outside of my comfort zone was the reason for my successful Jr. High dance.
Cool story, Dan.... I can literally hear half of my core group of pals saying this to themselves right now. Relax I am going somewhere with this.
You can fast forward from your awkward Jr. High dance and find yourself in a similar situation. Instead you are now 20 something and you have on your corporate camouflage and a resume in-hand. Those same questions come back- What the heck am I doing here? What if they won't hire me? What if they hire these other guys? What if all I get from this is a handshake and a stomach full of Starbucks?
"Don't assume those chairs are for sitting" Show up to every interview and job fair you can attend. Show up to meet and greets and professional events. Show up with the mentality that the chairs aren't for sitting. Do not assume your dream job will walk up to you and ask for the dance. You need to put yourself out there in front of potential rejection and show off your skills.
Show up-Hand in your ticket (your resume)-and start dancing. One last thing-the fear that comes when you approach unfamiliarity or challenge is THEE best indicator that you need to dive right in and get the experience.
Shout out to whoever that creepy chaperone was who inspired this post!
With Much Respect,
Mr. Daniel Clark
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Fresh out of the College Factory
Here is your dipolma. Here is your suit. Here is your bill. See ya!
At some point I am certain that we all had this feeling. Emotionally it felt as though our entire life broke-up with us. It did really. Our lifestyle, our friends, our social responsibility and expectation, and our go with the flow mentality suddenly sent us a letter saying it was all over. That letter (your degree) had a big receipt attached to it that monetized your beloved college years and the only thing left to do now is sit back in your parents sofa and stroll down memory lane about the nights you can't remember and the friends you will never forget news flash for ya the present situation is not going anywhere and that weight you feel on your shoulders will only make you weaker if you don't start building some muscle trying to lift it.
If you have had a similar experience or are still having it, I am here to tell you that you will evolve. You will only evolve though with goals and action. You will only evolve with a positive attitude and the desire to do something with that degree you have earned.
"You have got to pay to play" stop looking at your student loan debt as an obstacle. Instead look at it as an obstacle course! Be thankful for a that bill! Wait what? Yes I said be thankful... let me explain.
Milton Friedman will help me out here, " It is a law of economics that people respond to incentives, that's just how it is"... The government has given you more incentive to succeed than you could have ever developed on your own! Thanks Uncle Sam!
Start your obstacle course (repaying that loan) with tireless amounts of effort and positivity. Go get that job-work your tail off-put your degree to work-walk into those doors it will open for you-and take this challenge head on. You will grow some tough skin along the way and your professional muscles will grow along with your integrity and value you bring to society.
Start climbing gang! We are just getting warmed up!
With Much Respect,
Mr. Daniel Clark
At some point I am certain that we all had this feeling. Emotionally it felt as though our entire life broke-up with us. It did really. Our lifestyle, our friends, our social responsibility and expectation, and our go with the flow mentality suddenly sent us a letter saying it was all over. That letter (your degree) had a big receipt attached to it that monetized your beloved college years and the only thing left to do now is sit back in your parents sofa and stroll down memory lane about the nights you can't remember and the friends you will never forget news flash for ya the present situation is not going anywhere and that weight you feel on your shoulders will only make you weaker if you don't start building some muscle trying to lift it.
If you have had a similar experience or are still having it, I am here to tell you that you will evolve. You will only evolve though with goals and action. You will only evolve with a positive attitude and the desire to do something with that degree you have earned.
"You have got to pay to play" stop looking at your student loan debt as an obstacle. Instead look at it as an obstacle course! Be thankful for a that bill! Wait what? Yes I said be thankful... let me explain.
Milton Friedman will help me out here, " It is a law of economics that people respond to incentives, that's just how it is"... The government has given you more incentive to succeed than you could have ever developed on your own! Thanks Uncle Sam!
Start your obstacle course (repaying that loan) with tireless amounts of effort and positivity. Go get that job-work your tail off-put your degree to work-walk into those doors it will open for you-and take this challenge head on. You will grow some tough skin along the way and your professional muscles will grow along with your integrity and value you bring to society.
Start climbing gang! We are just getting warmed up!
With Much Respect,
Mr. Daniel Clark
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