Meet Job Seekers

What do you want to be when you grow up? Simple question, right? 

My aunt just sent me a picture she took 4 years ago when I was on my way to Boston for orientation.

I look so young and happy and completely unaware of all that is to come. Think back to when you were embarking on the college journey. Now, look at everything you know now. Scary, isn’t it? So much growth can happen in such a short period of time.

Back then, I was going to be a political journalist, maybe even a central member of the White House Press Corps. I wanted to turn the American government upside-down. But I quickly realized that you have to be very cutthroat and persistent to do something like that, and I am much more nurturing than that. So I chose a move into public relations so I could build relationships, ultimately between world government leaders. Sounds like a pretty cool job to me.

Now, though, the challenges of just getting a foot in the door abound. I still have that dream goal for the future tucked neatly in the back of my mind, but for now, I want to discover as many aspects of PR as possible, travel to different countries, and just learn the ins and outs from all different angles. Lately I’ve been trying to express this to people helping me find job opportunities, but I feel like I end up sounding more confused than excited.

How do we bridge that gap — between being very excited for our future but completely overwhelmed by the number of choices spread before us? How do you plan now for what you want to be when you grow up? And how do you do so without compromising the path to your intended goal?

For me, this means setting out some short- and long-term goals now, and then developing steps to reach them. Hopefully through this exercise, I can narrow down the types of jobs to look for and where to focus my energy for the time being. 

What are your future career goals? What steps would you take now to reach them down the line?