The Little Things That Could Get You Hired (Or Fired)

By Maureen Corbett

In this ever more competitive work environment, everyone has been told that the key to landing your dream job is to stand out. Employees need to distinguish themselves from all the other applicants, who may be equally or more experienced, and show a potential employer what they can do to benefit the company. But how should one go about doing that? Some people distinguish themselves by highlighting their professional leadership qualities, or participating in volunteer activities related to the job. While these are positive ways to help you stand out, there are many things an employee can also do that would negatively impact their impression during a job interview. Here just a few of the little things you might want to shy away from:

1. Bad Posture

Good posture is one of the most important qualities one can have in an interview. Standing and sitting up straight shows assertiveness and lets your interviewer know that you belong in this kind of working environment. On the other hand, bad posture may signal to your interviewer that you are passive or insecure, and could distract them from your other beneficial qualities.  

2. Flashy Jewelry

Sometimes, less is more. The bigger and more flashy your jewelry gets, the bigger the chance is that it will distract your interviewer. Nice earrings and a simple necklace is all it really takes to make you look pretty and professional  This applies for men as well as women. Guys, try to stay away from earrings or long chain necklaces, a simple watch will do the trick. 

3. Too Much Perfume/Cologne

Smelling nice can definitely show your interviewer that you take personal hygiene seriously, but at some point a line needs to be drawn. You never know what scents someone might be allergic to, and too much of any smell can overwhelm an interviewer. You want them to be focused on your impressive resume and charming personality, not thinking about the next time they will get to breathe fresh air. 

4. Hairstyles That "Make a Statement"

I'm all for expressing individuality, but some forms of self expression need to be left at home. While you may think a unique cut or updo will show your interviewer that you keep up with the times, it can also hinder your appearance. Companies want to hire staff members who will represent their "look" to the public, and anything too extreme can be a turnoff. Stick to your usual style for job interviews, and don't try anything too fancy. 

What Makes You Stand Out?

By: Lauren Farmer

An important thing that hiring professionals look at when selecting an employee for their company is that special something that separates them from every other candidate.  So, it is important to know your strengths before going into an interview or applying for a job.

Many will point out good grades, leadership ability, and work experience, but these are all very vague and are probably the reasons you got the interview in the first place, which is good.  But once you are in the interview, the interviewers are looking for something beyond those qualities to make them confident in hiring you over everyone else with the same good grades, leadership skills and work experience.

Some examples of strengths that you may possess that would be a seller to the hiring company are drive, commitment, curiosity or creativity, and passion.  Drive is another way of saying when you are given a task you have the motivation to see it through to the end.  If you are given an assignment in class or a project to work on and you have motivation to complete it and make it to the best of your ability, one of your strengths is drive.  If you go above and beyond the expectations, then you can be considered committed.  Some outside of work examples can be being in a club, volunteer work, participating in marathons and so on.  These are read to interviewers as above and beyond things that can be translated into a good work ethic. Curiosity and creativity come from wanting to know how things work and how things can be changed.  If you see a project and want to learn more about it, and more importantly how you can change it for the better, then this is a good strength that could set you apart from the other competition.  And finally, if you believe in the work you do and don't mind putting in all of the hard work to make your vision come true, then one of your strengths is passion.  This is very important when standing out against other competitors for a job, because this is a major strength companies are looking for when adding to their staff.  It means that you will be loyal to the company and do your best to represent them.

So in conclusion to this blog, it is important to find out what makes YOU special.  Try to focus more on that than what the company you are applying for wants.  This is important, but it is more important to highlight your own specific qualities that best matches you to a job rather than conforming yourself to fit to a job.  

There is No I in Team

By Michael Mustradi

There is no better feeling than when a team comes together and fires on all cylinders.  Most of the time, great sports teams, such as the World Champion ’96 Chicago Bulls, come to mind when thinking about excellent teamwork.  However, teamwork is what drives both individuals and companies to success in the workplace.  Even though it is not always easy to be a team player, the advantages of meshing like a team can make life (and work) more tolerable and much more fun.

                                        

In order to be an affective teammate, you must know your skills or strengths and use them to your advantage.  For example, if organization is your strongpoint, be the one to keep the team organized and on track.  Not only will this make it easy on you since you are playing your strengths, you will feel like you have an important role on the team.

Also, being a communicator helps a team immensely.  A team that does not have open communication will not be as successful as one that does.  This doesn’t mean you have to be talking nonstop and speaking up when you shouldn’t.  Asking quality questions, challenging your teammates, and discussing possible solutions to any encountered problems are crucial to affective communication.  With communication, comes reliability.  If you say you are going to do something, you better get it done. 

If a teammate is pushed for time and is trying to meet a deadline, step up to the plate and help him/her out.  Then, when you are pushed for time (which you will be), he/she will remember your help and give it right back to you.  This brings up an important point: flexibility.  Being on a team does not mean tasks will get completed on your own time.  Sometimes you have to sacrifice a night out with friends to meet with the group and be productive.  Not everyone has the same schedule so being flexible will help the team continue to meet deadlines and increase the likelihood of success.    

No More Drama

By: Nora Kish

Any setting, professional or personal, has the potential to bring drama into your life. Your involvement in that drama can have more influence than you realize; it can mold people’s perceptions of you and define your character. Whether it’s partaking in some seemingly harmless office gossip or being out with friends and getting chewed out by a crazy stranger, drama is always lurking.

In a professional setting, drama is the last thing you want to be associated with. Not only does it negatively impact your work, it impacts your work relationships too. Someone who’s always in the middle of drama may be seen as untrustworthy and unpredictable, which are not desirable professional traits. Be aware of your environment and understand that every action has a consequence.

The best thing to do is to try to avoid drama at all costs. This means taking preventative and proactive measures.  

Don’t participate - If someone tries to start something with you or tries to get you to gossip, don’t involve yourself. If you avoid it in the beginning, you don’t have to worry as much or at all about any fallout.

Communication is irreversible – What is heard cannot be unheard so be careful what you say. Your words and actions are a representation of yourself so make they reflect the person you really are.

Don’t let it get to you – It only stresses you out if you let it. Some people only want to get a rise out of you – don’t give them that satisfaction!

Did you say it?

By: Yameng Zhang


Communication might be the first thing we learned when we were kids, as we grow up, communication becomes harder and harder. When we were kids, we cry so that people know we were hungry, sad or hurt; we laugh because we were happy and it meant we liked it.  As grown-ups, only cowards cry, and smiling or laughing may have nothing to do with "yes" or happiness.

As things turned complex, there's no way to turn it back to simple anymore. We research and analyze contexts to learn speaking appropriately, because what we say defines who we are.

We ask, so we can have a chance to get what we needs. "I am having a bad cold, do you mind if I don't wear working attire?" "I am trying to concentrate, can you stop spinning your pen?" "I'm waiting for an important phone call, can I turn on my phone?" "I like Blue man group, can I go talk to them about advertising?" Things can be simple, but at most of the time, we make it complicated. In workplaces, as long as it won’t break principles, it is better to say it clearly, otherwise, you may need to be tolerant, make up a lie, pretend to be cool and mess up everything else to make yourself an easy-going, open-minded, nothing-matters person.

We all have rules, we draw lines so we know when it's time to stop. When you have to working alone, it is always right to say "no" to your friends' company. When you deserve a better job, it is time to say "no" to the old one. When you know it is wrong, say "no" so everyone can see what you've got. Nodding and smiling may mean being polite when you're listening, but expressing yourself is what is expected after others are done talking. If you don't want your rules to be broken, say "no" before anything goes across the line.

We say words and do things accordingly. In interviews, we are supposed to present the best part of ourselves and what we have to offer, and then the employers would expect you to be as good as you said you were. However, if you bragged too much about your greatness, you may disappoint others no matter how hard you tried. Therefore, say what you did do in the past, promise what you can offer in deed, no exaggeration, no disguise and no shame to be who you really are.

As a kid, I wanted a bike but nobody gave me one, so I didn’t eat and cried a lot. That was how I got my bike. As I turned to an adult, I ask for things like class notes, a hand for lifting a chair from another table, anything bigger than that? I say "I want it", I fight for it, and I say "I got it". That's how it works.
 

Don't Procrastinate

by: Rebekah Beachum

I am a procrastinator.  As a kid, my parents would ask me to clean my room before bedtime and I would typically put it off until just before bed or I would even try to push bedtime back so I did not have to clean my room.  Unfortunately, this bad habit has followed me through junior high, high school, and all through college.  I cannot tell you how many nights I would find myself staying up to complete a project that’s due the next day (which I could have easily finished long beforehand). 

I try to attribute this to my “creative brain” because my dad told me creative types often work best when nobody else is around to distract and when they need to produce.  I am not sure this is true.  When there’s something I cannot wait to do or if I have an idea that’s burning the back of my head, I get it done and have multiple versions. 

The good thing, however, is that I have finally learned what things can quickly be done and the things that require time.  This is great timing, I think, as I am beginning to search for a job post-graduation and I know procrastinating on applications can mean losing the job that I really desire or losing interest entirely.  Procrastinating on my life is not an option. 

If you are at all like me and procrastinate terribly, start with small goals and get bigger.   Know your limits by setting personal deadlines, and expect to meet them.  When you meet the deadline, reward yourself in some small way and set the next goal.  I have found that this system definitely helps motivate to continue a good habit into professional life where deadlines are constant and inevitable.

Need more steps to meeting a deadline? See 14 Essential Tips for Meeting Deadlines. (These are specifics for a freelancer, but can be applied to almost anything.)

Advice to my Freshman-self

Here are ten pieces of advice I would go back and give to my freshman self if I could. I think these are applicable to each and every one our lives anyway, so they are still good rules to live by.

1.     Do all things in moderation. Spend time studying, with friends, relaxing, sleeping, eating, working out, etc. Do not over indulge and keep your life as balanced as possible! A little bit each day will go along way!

2.     Try new things and get involved right away. Hey, you are basically a foreigner here and you barely know anyone! Go out and explore your interests and meet some people who share them. You will be happy you did and will probably meet life-long friends.

3.     Make mistakes. Failing a test, screwing up a relationship, oversleeping for class, those are all things that are going to happen. What you learn from them is what truly matters.

4.     Like everyone, trust few. Everyone is in the same boat as you with trying to make friends. Treat everyone you meet the same way, but wait to trust anyone until you really see who sticks around. You will be happy you did this.

5.     Make a resume and cover letter. You might not need them right away, but when you make it, you will see how much room you have to fill.

6.     Learn everything you can about your school. Purdue pride is something you should be a part of. You did chose to come here after all, so make the most of your short four years here (trust me, they will go fast!)

7.    Don’t sweat the small stuff. Life is too short to get wrapped up in things that don’t matter.

8.    Be open-minded. Our school is very diverse and there are so many great people you can meet and learn from. You will meet people from all over the globe. Don’t shy away from your peers knowledge and experiences, embrace them.

9.    Do what you really want to do and pursue your interests. If you don’t like what you are doing, stop doing it! Find what you really like and go for it! (You know those Pharmacy classes you are in right now? Yeah, you actually really don’t like them. Try communications, you are so much better with your words! )

10.  Thank your parents. They got you here and they are your biggest supporters. Be appreciative of them and continue to look to them for support.

Facebook Timeline and Why Change is Inevitable

By: Maureen Corbett

Facebook's 800 million users are by now aware of the new timeline layout that the company introduced several months ago. And as more and more people discover this new change, we can see a shift from the old Facebook to the new. Timeline is one of Facebook's most radical change so far, and reactions to this change have varied greatly among Facebook users.

Now if any of you readers are like me, you probably don't like change very much. As we get set in our ways we begin to become comfortable with how things are and tend to get used to the way they have always been. This reminds me of when I first learned how to ride a bike without training wheels. My mother practically had to force me to take the extra set of wheels off, because I didn't understand the point in learning something new. My five year old brain wondered why I would change something that was working perfectly fine?

However it wasn't until the training wheels came off that I realized how expansive change could be. Facebook has proven this as well by thinking outside the box and not being afraid to push the limits of an idea. The new timeline allows users to share their story more visually than ever before with videos, pictures, and posts that date back to when their account was first created. Timeline is also a great advertising tool for companies who want to use the new visual effects of Facebook to their advantage, as well as allowing Facebook to compete with competitors such as Google+. Change has clearly worked in Facebook's favor, and they are reaping the benefits. And the same goes for change in the workplace. We might not enjoy the feeling of learning something new or changing the way our company works, but it can be one of the best ways to seek improvement.

So take those training wheels off already. Switch over to the new timeline if you haven't done so already. Don't be afraid to move out of your comfort zone with your job and expand yourself.

Want tips on how to handle change in your career? Here is an interesting article I found with ten easy tips on how to do so: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-tips-for-dealing-with-change-in-the-workplace/257

Dressing Professionally for the Winter Season

By: Lauren Farmer

Living in Indiana at Purdue University, we all know that the weather can be brutal during the winter season! One day it is 50 degrees and thunder storming, next thing we know wind chills are in the negatives and there is 3 inches of snow on the ground.  And we all know how hard it is to dress up for work and internships and still stay warm on our bone chilling walk to campus.  Well I have some style tips for everyone! Here are a few tips for still dressing professionally and staying warm at the same time.

1. Layers are your best friend.  This allows you to still wear those great tops that may not keep you warm by themselves, but paired with a great blazer or cardigan sweater will keep you nice and toasty.  This also is useful for when you get inside the office and get hot and sweaty from your brisk walk because you can remove some of the layers to be comfortable inside the warm office. For men, wear a shirt under a button down and add a sweater vest over it.  (Girls love a nice man vest.) Then add a nice jacket over it all. 
2. Find your statement pieces.  Pick out your favorite pair of pants and a cute top.  Make sure you wear shoes that are comfortable to walk in and don't make you slip on the ice and snow.  I would recommend cute boots. But wear thick socks to keep your feet warm.  (I usually wear crazy fuzzy socks under my boots.  They keep my feet warm and no one sees the crazy patters on them!) Then you can add a button up shirt or a cardigan over your top.  And to keep extra warm add a jacket or blazer too.  Men, make sure your shoes cover well and wear thick socks too so the wet snow doesn't sneak in and soak your feet!
3. Get a quality coat. The next most important article of clothing that is a must have for winter is a good quality coat. Instead of a thick, "only for comfort not for looks" kind of coat, get a nice winter pea coat (men, overcoat), long or short.  They are still great at keeping you warm and allowing you to look nice and professional as well. 
4. Accessorize. Who says you can't accessorize in winter? Well, they're wrong. Winter accessories include hats, gloves, scarves, and cute boots! They can be fashion statements and keep you warm at the same time. What a great concept! 

And there you have it. Four easy steps to keeping you warm and professional (and fashionable!) for the bitter cold.  Have fun bundling up in these fabulous layers and stay warm!

Accomplishing a goal: Be S.M.A.R.T. about it!

By Michael Mustradi

Everyone has goals they would like to accomplish throughout their lifetimes.  These goals can be career related, such as becoming an account executive or obtaining that dream job you always wanted.  However, setting a specific goal can be applied to just about anything in life.  Stopping a bad habit, improving overall fitness, or simply being a better person are all goals that many face throughout their lifetime.  But, identifying a goal is the easiest part of the whole process.  The effort and hard work come in when you are figuring out how to achieve the goal.  So, one must select a S.M.A.R.T. goal.  Let me explain:

S= Specific

Vague goals will not get you to where you want to be.  Goals that are achieved successfully are specific and must include a detailed set of actions.  For example, “doing my part to help the environment” is not the best goal, but instead say “I will recycle all paper products.”

M=Measurable

You will be much more successful if you have a goal that allows you to measure your progress.  Instead of “being less stressful”, say “exercising on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to relieve stress.”

A=Achievable

Setting an impossible goal will leave you feeling unfulfilled and overcome with the feeling of failure.  But, at the same time, setting a goal that is too easy to attain will not give you the joy of accomplishment.  So, the goal here (no pun intended) is to set a goal that will be challenging but also possible.  If a student earned a GPA of 2.0/4.0, the goal would not be to get a 4.0 next semester, but instead, set a goal of earning a 3.0.

R=Reward

Rewarding yourself for your hard work plays a crucial role when obtaining your goal, but this should be a well thought out reward.  The reward should not undermine the goal.  For example, if your goal was to advance your career position, your reward should not be taking a few days off of work.  Or, if your goal was to lose 15 pounds, you don’t want to reward yourself with a Big Mac and a hot fudge sundae (as good as that may sound).  Instead, when you reach a milestone, reward yourself with getting a massage or purchasing new shoes, etc.

T=Time-defined

Having deadlines will keep you motivated and on track.  If you plan on running in the marathon during the summer, have deadlines that will help you get to your goal.  The bigger the goal, the more likely you will need more time to achieve that goal.

Even though there are many ways to achieving a goal successfully, the S.M.A.R.T. acronym provides a solid foundation when thinking about goals that you would like to accomplish.

It just get started.

By: Yameng Zhang


It was on my 22nd birthday, and it was a scary, stressful, energy-consuming and frustrating day. I put on my mom’s suit jacket and a pair of new trousers with its label, and I walked into a bright conference room and people were waiting to judge. Questions were asked, every words and motions were watched, and my voice cracked and hands chilled. I walked out the room, thinking things went fairly well till I realized the price tag of my trousers was out there the whole time. Later that day, I made my birthday wish, I wished I can still get the position even though it might sound hopeless. This was how my interview went for this internship.


After that, every night I dreamed the label didn’t flip out, I dreamed I understood every question for the first time, I dreamed about having the interview all over again, and I dreamed I’d got it all. And here I am.


If the interview was a performance with thousands of rehearsals, the internship would be the arena. We wear customs—the uncomfortable but professional suits. We put on masks—the attitudes that we rarely have towards others. We bring props-- computers and plan books so that we can set our own scenes. We performed the best of ourselves at the interview in order to get ourselves onto the real stage. When we are about to do the internship, all eyes will be on us and wait for us to bring out all the skills we promised on our resume. The internship will be a long and complex process with many parts, therefore we will have many opportunities for errors. Once we realize we cannot be the best of ourselves the whole time, the extreme pressure comes around and it is ready to take us down anytime.


The good news is it just gets started. It is ok to be terrified, it is allowed to make mistakes, since it is the internship which will make us stronger, and only the mistakes we made will let us know what is right. If practicing interviews could make one a speaker, an internship should make one a doer.

Pursuit of a Leader

by: Rebekah Beachum

Hello lovely readers.   This is my second semester as a design intern for LACD, and only my second post (slacking, I know).  Because it’s my second semester and I’m now a senior intern, I’ve been encouraged to step up as a leader and I keep wondering what it looks like to be a leader.

We see really great examples of people that are natural leaders (MLK, President Franklin Roosevelt, etc.) and we see examples of not so great people that are still leaders (Hitler, Stalin).  What do they all have in common that sets them apart and makes them a leader?  Some could say natural charisma, a strong viewpoint, or even the ability to make people feel comfortable in their own skin.  I think one of the things all these people have in common is ‘pursuit’.  Now, I can’t take full credit for this idea, because I saw an article that mentioned it, but pursuit of anything will make a leader.  These people aren’t satisfied with what’s going on naturally- they’re uncomfortable with the status quo and seek to change it.  This kind of pursuit is focused, intentional, and easily transferrable to other skill sets or areas of life.  What a leader pursues hardest defines them.  It tells the world what they value and how they interact with other people.

Pursuit of better leadership, I think, is key to being a leader.  Any leader knows that they will fail, accept it, and are motivated to make that area of their life better.  I’m hoping that this semester, I will desire to become a better leader and, importantly to me, a leader of integrity.  I wish to be a leader that is strong in my convictions, and is more than willing to say that they’re wrong and as willing to correct mistakes.  We’ll see how it goes.  I guess pursuing it couldn’t hurt.  Do you think pursuit is an essential quality for a leader?

Social Media: Friend or Foe?

By: Julie Smith

Social Media: Friend or Foe?

In this day and age, not being on social media sites is like social abomination. You want to stay connected with your friends and be as up-to-date with worldwide happenings as you possibly can. Smart phones, iPads, iPods, Laptops, etc. all aid in our ability to update our status, tweet, or upload a photo to the Internet via social media at the click of a button. This however, can cause serious problems for you as a professional.

Separating the Personal and Professional

You can do it.  Exert some self-control when you feel the urge to post something potentially controversial or inappropriate.

Try having a personal and a professional Twitter account. Follow your friends and celebrities on your personal account. Still maintain some level of professionalism on this page, but use it more for social interaction with your peers.  Your professional account is where you should follow professionals.  Follow companies you are interested in working for. Make this site public to anyone. Still monitor your followers and keep spammers or negativity away from your page. Use this as a place to market yourself. Add your LinkedIn account as your website and tweet about things you have accomplished and are proud of. Re-tweet industry related articles and "favorite" great posts by great companies.

My rule of thumb with Facebook is: do not post anything you would not want your grandma to see. Even if you have the coolest grandma in the world, you know there are some things that are just off limits. Sure, grandma probably does not care that you went to Harry’s with a couple of friends, but I would be willing to bet she would not want to see you excessively drinking or dancing on bars. A recruiter once told me that pictures in a bar are fine, as long as your eyes do not give you away. The bottom line here, just be smart.

Be Careful With What You Endorse

What you like, follow and post on Facebook or Twitter does define you. Make sure they are things you would be proud to bring up in a face-to-face conversation with someone. Also be aware of how much you are endorsing. Your Facebook friends probably do not care if you “like” every single book you have read, movie you have watched or television show you like. Moderation is key here. It is good to show some personality by endorsing things you are passionate about, but be careful to not over do it.

Privacy Settings Are Your Friend

Play it safe and keep things private, especially on Facebook. Take off your email address and phone number because those are easy ways that someone looking to find your Facebook can search you by. Check your privacy settings every now and then, because sometimes Facebook will change their policies and not alert you. In reality, the more private you are, the better things will be. Is that not the truth in your day-to-day life anyway?

In conclusion, social media has so many benefits both personal and professional. Using your best judgment to filter out the good and the bad will help you to successfully use social media for personal and professional use. Just remember- if you are ever unsure about whether or not something is social media appropriate, have your grandma look over it!  

Too Much Going On? How to Juggle it All Without Losing Your Mind

By: Maureen Corbett

As the new semester is still just beginning, it can be quite a struggle to get back into the swing of things. The couch in your living room and Mom’s home cooking probably provided you with quite a long period of relaxation, so you may have forgotten what it’s like to be busy. And if you’re anything like me, this semester is going to be busier than ever. I just became a member of the LACD internship team, and while I am out-of-my-mind excited for this great opportunity I have a lot of other stuff going on too. I am taking 16 credit hours, involved in a research project with one of my professors, a member of X-Works Dance Company at Purdue, and I’m also planning on rushing Co-Ops in February.  So how does one honor all these commitments and balance all these activities without wanting to tear your hair out? Here are a few helpful tips:

1.   1.    Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

This is the main goal. I know I am not the only one who likes to be busy and be involved in a lot of different things, but we all need to be aware that we have our limits. If you spread yourself too thin it will start to reflect in your work quality. So take a moment and honestly assess all the projects you are tackling this semester, and decide if it is feasible for you to do them all. If yes then great, but if you need to quit that extra cooking class or lacrosse team then you should take action. Don’t be afraid to say “No.”

2.   2.    “Out of Clutter, Find Simplicity.” –Albert Einstein

In other words, organize. Invest in a planner and write down everything that you need to accomplish during the day, week, and month. Once you have it all on paper, recognize what needs to get done first and prioritize.  Also, keep your work station clear and materials organized so you have room to think. Find a system that works for you and use it to your benefit to make your life less hectic.

3.      3. ProcrastDON’Tation

I know we have all heard this from Day One of our very first kindergarten class, but procrastinating on important assignments is a very ineffective way to work.  When you are first assigned a project, sit down and assess how many hours it will take to complete. Find time in your week where you know you can get the work done, and pencil it in to your planner. And then get to work! Forcing yourself to do things in a timely manner will create less stress for you in the long run.

4.      4.  Communicate Effectively

If you are involved in multiple organizations, make sure your superiors know that you have other commitments. It’s best to be upfront in the beginning of the semester and let them know that you are engaged in other things so that you can work out any conflicts or overlaps early. It angers people if they feel that you are not as committed to their organization as you should be, and you don’t want to upset the people you are working with. If you have to miss a meeting or practice, send emails or texts regarding this information as early as possible so that your superiors can work around your schedule.

5.    5.   Don’t Forget to Breathe!

Take a break every now and then! Relax a little, and don’t be afraid to have fun. You’ll make it through this semester just like you have every other semester, so keep your head up and don’t let your workload stress you out. 

Common Career Related Questions

Hey all! Lauren here, and I am one of the Senior Interns for LACD! I am the graphic design intern and this is my first blog. So bear with me because this takes some getting used to!

As an intern for Career Development, I want to make todays topic about some questions that college students usually have when discussing their future career plans, or incoming college students when deciding what field to pursue.  These are questions you may want to address before fully committing to one career path.

One example to start would be how much pay would I be getting in this field? You also need to address before accepting a job the ratio between how much pay you are being offered and the cost of living for the city you will be moving to. Be sure to do thorough research on this topic before accepting a job offer.  Another example that mostly relates to incoming students is how much schooling will I have to go through in order to be successful in my career?  If you want to limit the amount of schooling you will need, you probably shouldn't go to school to be a doctor or a dentist because those fields require extensive schooling after the basic 4 years of undergraduate schooling. You may also want to ask yourself if you will want to attend graduate school after undergraduate schooling. And finally a third example would be will you find this career fulfilling in the long run? Make sure you choose a field that you will be happy in and that you can be successful and reach your full potential.  You only get one life so choose your career wisely!