Career Advice for New Graduates

Like many people, I read the NYT article entitled the “American Dream Elusive for New Generation” and was shocked at the young man featured in the article who turned down a $40,000 per year job with a liberal arts degree because he felt it wasn’t attractive enough.  I don’t think there’s anything that I could add that hasn’t been discussed in the comments on the article, but it reminded me that I am often asked by young colleagues about the best way to progress in their career.  I had previously outlined a 5-Step Plan to a High Salary, which you might consider, the 5 steps that I took to move up the corporate ladder, back when I was on the corporate ladder.  Here are some additional points to consider:

–Do not expect to directly apply your degree – there may be some exceptions, especially in things like chemical engineering or pharmacy, but if you have a broad degree, it may be years before you end up working on things that you feel you trained for if at all.

–Take pride in your work, no matter what you are doing — sitting on the supervisor side of the desk for many years now, I can say that it is very obvious which employees take pride in their work, apply themselves and are enthusiastic about more opportunities.  Even if you are bored with the day-to-day, don’t let the boredom manifest itself as shoddy quality.

--Learning doesn’t stop once you graduate — I think it’s important to continue the path of both formal and informal learning.  To the extent you have opportunities to sign up for classes, including public speaking, computer skills, as part of your job, do so.  Continue to read extensively, both things relevant to your field and those outside.

–Cultivate at least one hobby that could turn into a business opportunity — with almost no one staying with a company for 4 decades any longer, many people will want to explore other areas of interest. Cultivating a hobby, volunteering at a non-profit on weekends, or helping with a friends start up are ways to learn about other areas, develop skills and contacts, and set the stage for something in the future.

–Keep in mind the best way to find a job is to have a job – this is where I think the young man in the NYT article erred.  If you are between jobs or wanting to take time off, it’s important not to have lots of dead time on the resume.  Look for an internship or temporary work if those are the only options.

Shared at this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance