Tag Archives: career planning

Everything

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If you didn’t go to any of the events put on by Career Planning & Resources during Life After Scripps, you really missed out. Not only did I gain a lot of valuable information about careers and how to pursue the one you want, but I also got a free froyo and got to make a pretty collage. While I may have been one of the only a few first years at many of the sessions, I fit in amongst the eager students learning how to act in an interview and catch the attention of big businesses.

So, if you were unable to make it to one of these events, don’t worry. There are many more throughout the year put on by the wonderful CP&R that you can partake in. The froyo might not be included in the deal, however.

Although I enjoyed and benefited from all of the sessions that I attended, my favorite was by far “Create Your Gap Year.” I felt a little bit hypocritical while there because I just spent so long planning for college itself and deciding where to spend the next four years of my life, and now I’m planning what to do when that is over. I moved on pretty quickly.

Not actually, though. I’ve always had a dream to travel abroad after I graduate from college, and so I though that starting to think about a plan for a gap year would be a great idea. It makes me happy, as well, to think about all of the cool things that I can do and as some of the other girls at the session said, discover some things about yourself that you couldn’t and didn’t have time to at Scripps.

During the session, we were able to go through stacks of magazines and create collages to map out our gap year. Mine was pretty broad and mainly included things that I like and enjoy doing, and the vague ideas I have for what I want to do after my life at Scripps. It pretty much reflects the very few concrete ideas I have, and more just shows my excitement and optimism towards the idea of a gap year since the paper has a lot of bring and pretty colors.

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Making my collage made me realize that there are plenty of opportunities to do the things that you want to do after college, and that you can always change your path. It’s possible to stop doing something if it’s not what you like, and many times it is even worth it to change. As some of the big wigs at one of the career panels said, a job is a significant part of your life and thus you should enjoy what you do. Know what you’re getting into before you do it, but also be willing to change it if it’s not working out well. If traveling is what it takes for you to figure out what you want to do, go for it. And that’s just what I might end up doing at this point, since I have no idea otherwise!

We Do What We Want: Part II

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It occurred to me that I’ve talked a lot about how I’m working towards *something* (or procrastinated working towards that *something*) but I haven’t actually said what it is.

In the past 4 years I’ve wanted to be a dancer, neuroscientist, neuropsychologist, psychologist, advocate, activist… and a zookeeper. (No, I’m not pretending to be a 4 year old who wants to be an astronaut and a ballerina, I actually worked at a zoo with monkeys and lemurs for two summers!) But nothing clicked in a I-can-do-this-for-the-rest-of-my-life kind of way. The only thing I could see myself doing for the rest of my life was being a feminist. But, as a friend blatantly put it, “I don’t think there’s a job description that says, ‘pull people’s heads out of their…” well, let’s just say, a body part where it might be anatomically difficult to get your head…

BUT I JUST WANT TO BE A SCRIPPSIE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE

Conveniently, as I grappled with this idea, I talked to a friend last summer who suggested it’d be nice to have a Pocket-Scrippsie to take to work, to fight all of the feminist battles she wasn’t sure she could take on at her company. Becausee of that conversation, I came up with a crazy career plan: I could be that Pocket-Scrippsie.

What if I could bring some third-wave feminism into start-ups and fast-growing-soon-to-be-popular-and-successful companies? What if I encouraged those companies to bring some diversity into their culture? What if I found a way to explain how much their company flourish if they hired more than straight-white-cis-men? What if I help change the image that comes to mind when people think of successful companies and famous CEOs?

I wanted a way to do something I love, actually make money, and stay true to the ideas I’ve learned at Scripps… and I think I found a way to do that. I’m going to get experience in talent acquisition (to bring in some diversity), in organizational development (to help instill feminist values which will make the organization and its culture better), and in any other part of the company where I get to work with people, hear their concerns, and find ways to make it better.

So that’s why I’m working on those applications, why I need to succeed at career fairs, and why I’m trying to look like a grown-up… I have this crazy-exciting idea that I can keep being a Scrippsie for the rest of my life and I can bring those ideas into everything that I do… especially if feminism is a foreign concept wherever I end up working.

The trend continues… We’re Scrippsies. We do what we want. We find ways to make it (whatever it is) happen…

When I grow up, I’m going to be a Pocket-Scrippsie.