As I enter the second half of my college career, I reflect on how fortunate I’m to have been mentored by incredible leaders and memorable people from various industries with differing specialities.
From former colleagues to recent graduates, authors to heads at divisions, it hasnât been easy keeping in touch with these folks to hear their words of wisdom. It takes practice, patience, confidence and dedication, practically a full-time job in itself yet I genuinely enjoy keeping in touch with my diversified network weekly since it is an insurance policy money cannot buy.
FYI: Something they donât teach you in school.
Investing in yourself is by far the best investment you can dig into since it pays dividends in the long run. You wonât see that degree pay off right away or even within a few years, especially in grueling competitive industries of the arts and writing. Considering millions of students take on enormous loans for the benefit of them paying off isnât guaranteed but more are certain in their bets as school is the only practical choice for many.
I would consider myself a decent student. Nothing special or outstanding. Looking out from the inside, I would say I work a bit too hard at times to get to levels others exert far less energy for.Â
This can be frustrating.
Maybe itâs because Iâm distracted by other things that are geared towards my passion or Iâm just not made for the education system in general. Whatever it may be, Iâm proud to have grown up this way and adopt this mentality since Iâm convinced Iâve learned and met people that I otherwise couldnât have if I was solely focused on being a top student.
Grades arenât everything nor is college. Itâs a choice, not the only one.
After all, itâs not always about what you know but who you know. This is one of the few lessons Iâve learned that applies anywhere and brings me to my first point:
#1 Donât Network When You Need To
Networking gets a bad wrap since we associate it with the worst experience weâve dealt with while networking. Whether it was having to struggle negotiating with a stubborn salesman or an awkward networking brunch passing out business cards repeating the same elevator pitch to everyone you see, we donât know how to network property because we call it networking in the first place!
When you wanted to get to know someone as a kid, you didnât block out 30 minutes next week to speak, wear a suit or give them your resume. You gradually go to know their interests and hanged out on your own time whenever you could. People are just like you and we forget to put ourselves in otherâs POV when having a mission. The best gift is giving and the goal in networking isnât to ask for anything in order to receive the most at the end.
We believe networking is solely for business and we must put on a fake professional persona, similarly to our profiles on LinkedIn versus on other social media sites.
Yet the reality is, no one wants to help you if you straight up ask for something. People want to help those that look and do what they like. They want to feel good and overtime if you show you care and genuinely to help not just on the professional side, they will help you. Daily, I get far too many requests on Linkedin from strangers asking for a referral or promotion.
Do they not realize where theyâre coming from or bother finding out my name first?
It takes little to no time to connect with someone and it pays off tremendously. It is the best use of your time and compounds. The goal is to give more and receive less. Donât schedule checkins on a bi-weekly basis, occasionally check in with them when you are ready to see if they need help and then overtime, with patience, when you do, theyâll be the first ones to help right back.
#2 Never burn bridges with anyone
The world is a small place. You may think keeping your enemies away and never speaking to them is the best path but in reality, you want to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
Your reputation is everything and gossip spreads fast. Youâll be surprised who youâll need help from down the road.
#3 Optimize and specify the resume
If you donât bother to modify your resume for each application, donât apply. Hiring is a numbers game and in order to bypass the algorithms and first round system you have to know what recruiters and the resume screener are looking for which lie in the details.
Before they meet you, they want to know you meet the requirements which mean you need to perfect the verbs, adjectives, specifics, details, hard and soft skills on that 1-pager and also show your human side through activities you do.
Do the simple things right.
#4 Always send a thank you note
No matter how distraught you are for getting rejected by a role, job, institution or person first things first is to push all the emotions out of the way, become mature again and thank the other party for their time and consideration. When I got my first major rejection in middle school from a bank, I wanted to cry for days yet knew that wouldnât help me grow and that itâs not the end of the world. Iâm glad I reversed my thinking quick since that lasting connection helped me land the same position next year.
I wrote back for feedback and just kept in touch with the recruiter in case an opening came up. Low and behold, a few months later, the applicant who got accepted seemed to never get back in touch with them and had an opening for me. That applicant ended up being the hiring managerâs son anyway as I soon found out, another reason to never associate your self-worth with any company or institution since life is unfair and hiring most of the time happens internally first.
#5 Preparation + Opportunity =Â Success
Iâve yet to take Professor Gallowayâs marketing class at NYU. As an NYU student, I enjoy listening to his daily podcast, âThe Professor G Showâ and he regularly mentions the Algebra of Wealth. It consists of stoicism, patience, timing, diligence and timing to achieve ultimate happiness, financial freedom and flexibility.
It is important to keep in mind that up to a certain point, success does not bring happiness. It is a daily battle you must work on in yourself. Also timing and luck, are not always in your control yet the more you do, the more opportunity is presented.
Consume less produce more and get after it. We all have our own advantages in life we just donât pay attention to them. Focus on what you have not what you donât have. Money isnât everything.
#6 Take Care of Yourself
Health is wealth and not focused heavily enough by those my age. It will come back to haunt you later on in life in the form medical bills, sky-high health insurance and the real culprit: decreased work efficiency harming the potential in yourself.
Donât chase short term instant gratification or dopamine. Do whatâs best for you which starts with prioritizing yourself because in order to be there for others you must take care of yourself.
Do the simple things well. Eat foods from the ground and exercise to keep your heart healthy and rejuvenated not to consume more junk.
Itâs not cool to not be healthy. Itâs silly and will be a major regret later on in life.
#7 Patience is a virtue
Everything happens for a reason and things happen for you not to you. From the stock market to your career, nothing worthwhile happens right away or overnight. Rich quick schemes arenât meant to last.
The most change happens when there is time to breathe not when you are rushing.
Be patient, understand what you can control and enjoy the journey since the past is already gone.
Youâll be surprised what boredom and waiting can teach you.
It isnât lazy nor slow, it is a secret propellant.
#8 What you put in is what you get out
I didnât understand this fully until I came to college. I didnât bother taking advantage of clubs or extracurriculars anymore since I was completely burnt out from HS only thinking about the right allocation of these activities to put on my college application.
Currently most of my learning is done outside of the classroom here in the Big Apple. From establishing connections with those with unrelated interests, to performing trial and errors in experimentation, taking advantage of various uncomfortable yet rewarding opportunities, failing hard and fast, and using time to my advantage, my most precious asset, have all skyrocketed my potential beyond the lame test scores.
Just because you got admitted, doesnât mean it will work for you and you can slack off. Take advantage of what is presented everywhere even if people are afraid. Nothing in life is free.
Rarely does one thing propel you, itâs usually the accumulation of unexpected factors in life that get you to where you want to be.
Life isnât linear and nor should you be.
Get to know people, take some time to be alone, and invest in yourself. Trust me, no one is paying attention to you as much as you want them to.
Today doesnât come again so make sure to work on what matters so it compounds and rewards you tomorrow.