Debunking Networking

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Claire

Networking. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you see that word? It’s probably something like this…

Or this..

Many people feel uncomfortable with networking because they view it as begging someone for a job at a large formal event. Of course it seems daunting, sleazy, and uncomfortable when approached like that! Good networking can be wonderful, insightful, and mutually beneficial for everyone. Here is a definition for networking that I like to give…

Networking is making connections and building relationships with the people around you.

Yes really, that’s it! It’s not necessarily in pursuit of a job although that can be a great benefit of networking.

I was also unfamiliar with the wonders of networking until I had the privilege to go on CP&R’s LA Media Networking Trek. I signed up for the trek because I knew I was interested in entering the media industry after college. But as far as the second part of the trip’s title, let’s just say I didn’t give it much thought. That is until after the trek when I realized how important and exciting networking can be.

Here are a few tips for building your network that I have picked up. The good news? These are likely things you already do!

1)Work hard. Be yourself.

Networking is something you’re already doing. It is really all about the connections that you build with family, friends, and people you know. Chances are that you already have an expansive network that you’re not even conscious of. By working hard and being the genuine to yourself, you are making a good impression on those around you. People genuinely want to help! If you ask for advice or help in your career goals, you will be surprised by how positively people respond to you. By presenting the best version of yourself, you’re setting up a positive chain reaction of events.

2) Ask questions.

Building your network is about making connections by asking people simple questions. Where have they been, and where are they going? Do they have any advice for you if you’re interested in their career path? Asking these questions can lead to amazing insights, whether in a more formal informational interview setting or just to others you know. You will be surprised at how fascinating and interesting other people’s stories can be. And chances are they will ask you these questions right back. Then, because you have established a good connection with them by being courteous and working hard, they may look out for opportunities for you in the future.

3) Be polite.

It is important to remember that everyone has their own network. Chances are that even if the person you’re talking to isn’t in the field that you’re interested in, they know someone who is. Never discount building a relationship and being courteous to others just because they don’t have an obvious connection to what you want to do. You never know how that relationship is going to benefit you or haunt you in the future.

4) Get involved!

You probably know it, but the people around you are going to do amazing things in the future. By finding ways to get involved in your community, you are not only building your own network by making connections, but you are also opening up paths for others. People think of networking as a selfish thing. But not only do the people around you build connections to the places you want to go, you have the opportunity to build bridges for them. At least for me, there is something incredibly fulfilling about this connecting aspect of networking.

With all this in mind, go out there and rock it! Because you’re already doing this all by your amazing self! You got this!

Bonding with Baboons: Networking and Animal Care

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Emily G.

This past summer, I spent a sweaty and spectacular month at Keepers of the Wild Nature Park in Valentine, Arizona. Over the course of 200 hours, I worked with over 40 species of native and exotic animals cared for by a tireless staff, and I learned an immense amount every day about the practicalities and nuances of exotic animal care. I put my theoretical knowledge of animal nutrition, behavior, and enrichment to use, all while assisting with the day to day operations of the park.

I was continually impressed by how such a small staff could keep everything running smoothly, something that is not a small feat in the hot, dry Arizona desert with over 100 dependent animals. Not only was I impressed with the staff, facilities, and grounds of the park, I was continually impressed by the growth I saw in myself over the course of my internship. I learned how to work outside in a harsher climate than I am used to, to quickly adapt to different protocols depending on the animal species, to construct specialized diets based on species and individual animal needs, and so much more. Every time I talk about my internship, I come up with something new that I learned via the immersive education experience.

The nature park itself is divided into three large groups: care center animals, hoofstock, and big cats. The care center encompasses the birds, primates, and many native species, and this is where I spent the first week and a half of my internship learning the ins and outs of the park’s basic operations. It is also the site of one of my most influential lessons while at Keepers of the Wild.

We always learn that networking in any career path is an extremely important part of growth and advancement, and the most important contacts in animal care are the animals themselves. One of my favorite new contacts from this summer was Billy. Upon meeting, I was not Billy’s favorite person. He found me threatening, yelled at me frequently, and did his best to scare me off. I spent my first week trying to impress Billy, or at least keep him from becoming stressed at the very sight of me. I should also probably mention that Billy is a baboon. Billy came to Keepers of the Wild in 2002 after being owned by a teenage girl following his life as a baby baboon in the entertainment industry. As many animal loving humans know, primates and other exotic animals do NOT make good pets. They are wild, highly intelligent creatures, and animal instincts are not something to fool around with.

Though we frequently learn in classes how closely related primates and humans are, Billy gave me this education in an up-close and personal way. He loved apples and bananas and would drink Capri Sun straight from the pouch, as long as you put the straw in for him. He people watched and played with toys; he just communicated differently, had opposable toes, and incisors four times the size of mine. When I first arrived at my internship, Billy couldn’t stand the sight of me. He threw rocks, yowled, stared intimidatingly, and did everything that he could to keep a threatening stranger away from his home and friends. I went home nightly and did research on enrichment techniques for the animals I was working with, and I made sure to look up ways to make myself less threatening to Billy and the other primates. Many of them had already had incredibly stressful lives prior to arriving in the park, and the last thing that I wanted to do was induce more stress while trying to take care of them.

Slowly, Billy got more used to seeing me. I kept my head down (direct eye contact is a sign of aggression to primates), worked hard, and pushed myself to absorb as much as I could each day. He went from exhibiting threatening behaviors, to apathetic tolerance, and finally, Billy accepted me into the fold. It was a Wednesday afternoon when I was working on the Big Cats team (an incredible experience in itself, with many stories for another time), and I walked past Billy’s enclosure giving my customary “Hi Billy!” greeting. He had been coming over to the side of the enclosure to grunt hello to me for a few days, but this day, he ran right up, sat down at the fence, chattered his teeth in a sign of greeting, and insisted on holding my hand and grooming me. As I sat there with my arm in Billy’s hands, I became hyper aware that it was an astonishingly special moment that I would never forget.

Animal care is grueling, difficult, dangerous work that pushes you to the brink of what you think you can handle. Lives are on the line, and they are lives that cannot advocate for themselves, making the job a thousand times more difficult. It is stressful, exhausting, but also unbelievably rewarding. For every moment spent close to tears because you are hot, dirty, and frustrated because something very simple (like a lock) just won’t cooperate, there are beautiful moments where human and animal intelligence are brought together in mutual understanding. My moments of understanding occurred constantly throughout this internship experience, and I am so incredibly grateful for having this opportunity. Billy and I got along swimmingly for the remainder of my time in Arizona, and I think of him daily.

In the same way that Billy grew to accept, appreciate, and maybe even like my presence at Keepers of the Wild, I grew even more certain that a life spent in animal care is the right career path for me. I came out of my intensive month more desiring to go into exotic practice for veterinary medicine, and I hope to do this work in conjunction with a rescue organization someday. I have an enhanced appreciation for small, non-profit rescue parks and for exotic animal care in general. I know that my newly developed mindsets and perspectives will help me to become a better veterinarian, and I can’t wait to have more experiences like this in the future.

Under Pressure

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Dorie

If there’s one thing I know I am absolutely qualified to talk about, it’s procrastination. In fact, just to prove my point, I procrastinated writing this post–for a little ‘method blogging,’ if you will–and I am now awake much earlier than I had hoped in order to finish it. Procrastination, especially on college campuses, is a pretty common method of study and operation, and although it may work for some, it definitely doesn’t work for others. There are many signs that might indicate someone is a procrastinator: excessive intakes of caffeine, late night signs of activity on Facebook and Instagram, a cheerful disposition on the outside as jokes are made about how much work is still left to be done by a quickly-approaching deadline, etc. However, if none of these traits are applicable, there is one sure-fire way to tell if you or someone you know is a procrastinator–an age-old expression that has withstood the test of time to consistently and accurately predict a procrastinator, even in their earliest stages of putting things off.

Does the phrase, “I work better under pressure” ring a bell? I can tell you from personal experience that this idiom has almost become a kind of mantra to me, allowing me to better justify the hours of YouTube videos watched in rapid succession, as the hours tick away and my deadlines loom closer and closer with every Buzzfeed clip I finish. Although senior year isn’t quite halfway over yet, I have already learned a lot about myself and the kind of student I am by really examining how I have approached my assignments this semester so far. To be blunt, I have some pretty bad procrastination patterns–like, really bad–which, to me, signals a need for a long-overdue reorganization of my priorities, time management, and motivational strategies in order to successfully get me through this last push and prepare myself for life after Scripps. Here’s a little mood music to play while you read the rest of this post–hopefully it motivates you to take my advice to heart.

They say old habits die hard, but I don’t necessarily think that’s true. Sure, the habits you’ve picked up over the years, likely starting in your youth and solidifying in high school, have had a huge influence on how you operate as a student and in your day-to-day activities, but these old habits are not set in stone forever. Instead, I say that while old habits might not die hard, they can certainly be shifted around enough to be retrained (or at least, attempted to!). Readjusting your study habits and such is not always the easiest of endeavors, but if it will help you out in the long run and make you better prepared as both a student and an adult once you move beyond the realm of higher education, why not try to better yourself in whatever way you can? After all, isn’t that kind of the point of coming to college in the first place?

Last week, I was lucky enough to see the honorable Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, give a wonderful talk at Pomona College. Her wisdom and advice for all of us in the audience was incredibly inspiring, and a lot of what she had to say has really stuck with me. She helped remind me why it is that I am here at college: because I came here for an education in order to grow as an individual and learn more about the world so I can strive to help make it a better place–not just to help me get a job once I graduate. I know, that all sounds kind of silly and romanticized, but it’s still true–and something that is often forgotten here amongst the pressure of grades, the vibrant campus life and social events, and everything in between. Sotomayor acknowledged how the expectations and the pressures of getting good grades has hindered the passion and the drive that students should be motivating themselves with, but also stressed the importance of reciprocity, even with the added expectations of high achievement: what you put into your education is what you get out of it, plain and simple. Her words forced me to evaluate my priorities as a student and reflect on the kind of education I was allowing myself to receive here at Scripps: was I pushing myself to take classes that sounded interesting, even if they were supposed to be hard or a lot of work? Or was I limiting myself by taking “easier” classes that I knew would boost my GPA and not require a lot of effort on my part–even if these classes weren’t useful to me or were things I had already learned?

While I’m sure we have all probably taken classes in both of these categories at one point or another, I found myself looking back over my time here at Scripps; not with any kind of regret, but with a sense that I absolutely could have pushed myself more. I procrastinate because I know I can and will get things done on time–as I have been doing for years. But, I have now realized that knowing I will somehow manage to finish all my work on time shouldn’t be what motivates me to actually do the work. For the rest of this semester, I want to try and change my mindset about my classes and start shifting my study habits in order to better prepare me not only for my last semester of college (which is approaching WAY too quickly, if you ask me), but also for my life after graduation, as I move into the job sphere that the cumulation of my education has equipped me to handle.

Now, of course, this change in mindset and reevaluation of habits is not for everyone. If you’re not of the procrastinating variety, then perhaps you’ve already developed the kind of mindset about your education and bettering yourself that I am striving towards. That’s awesome! Keep up the good work. Or, if you are a procrastinator, but are pretty happy with where you are in terms of what you’re doing and learning, then by all means, keep on keepin’ on–whatever works best for you. I am merely presenting some advice that I wish I had absorbed much earlier on in my educational career–because it is definitely something I had heard before, but never really understood till now, as I’m on my way out of the educational circuit–in the hopes that someone else might take it to heart.

Has this kind of epiphany ever happened to you? If you have any advice for how I should start my change in priorities and move away from using procrastination as a crutch, then by all means, please let me know! Or, if you’ve had a similar revelation at any point in your life, I’d love to hear about that as well–I’ll gladly listen to anything that will help me put off actually changing my procrastinating ways….

(Just kidding!)

(Mostly)

The Benefit of (the Many) College Expectations

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Olivia

Hi everyone! I wanted to start today’s post by thanking not only CP&R for the incredible Life After Scripps week, but also all of you that attended the events. I know that I was so pleased with the turn out at the Create Your Own Adventure seminar, and I hope that for those of you who attended, you learned something new and beneficial! Just a reminder that October 22^nd and 23^rd are the dates of the next two seminars. While the one last week was more informational, these next two are very interactive and fun!

I also really want to encourage you all to take advantage of the incredible opportunities Scripps provides. With the creation of every event, club, speaker, class, etc. comes the intent to benefit the student in some way. One of the women I interviewed, Clara, spoke to this point. While she was a busy student, she made sure to take advantage of all the opportunities she could, whether it was an extra class, joining a club, or going to a speaker event. The amount of activities she put on her plate “prepared me when I went to get my masters, because I was on it…I went into a very intense program, but I was actually prepared for the workload itself.”

Clara now teaches at a high school. However, not only does she teach English, she also is the dance teacher, a spin class teacher, one of the main program coordinators for the school, and is the faculty member that always volunteers to take on that extra assignment. While some people may look at her like she’s crazy, this is nothing new for her. Taking on all these tasks not only gives her something to do, but also provides more income.

I know for me that this semester I have been quite a bit overwhelmed with the amount I put on myself. Not only am I a blogger for Beyond the Elms, but also I still am maintaining my internship, I am a BOT student representative, the music director of Ninth Street Hooligans, and I am taking five academic classes. I also know I chose to do all of these activities for a reason: I wanted to blog for Beyond the Elms because I wanted more writing experience. I knew I wanted an internship this summer and I knew that the one I ended up with was going to be an incredible experience, even if it did go into the school year. I really care for Scripps and wanted to be more involved in its potential to grow, so BOT immediately caught my eye. And as for the class load…I wanted to finish all my GEs this year and also wanted to get a head start on my major.

I also know that I have learned a lot of skills from taking on this many activities that will benefit me later, whether it be I decide to go to graduate school or look for a career. I am learning how to make a (very intense) schedule and stick to it in order to get what I need to do done. I am also learning how to figure out what my personal priorities are and how sometimes making tough decisions is necessary. For example, until recently I was a member of the Chamber Choir. However, because of the amount of work I have taken on, I knew it was necessary for me to drop. I have been singing in choir since I was four years old, so this was not an easy decision. Honestly, I still am a little bit upset with myself, but I know I made the right decision.

As college students, a lot is expected of us. We are supposed to take classes, stay healthy, make friends, all while keeping in mind where we want to be after our four years at Scripps. However, I don’t think any of us should take this for granted. While it may seem overwhelming and stressful, we are learning to challenge ourselves in so many different ways. With every new assignment, we learn to balance and schedule—two very important skills that will go a long way no matter where you end up after Scripps.

Have any of you ever felt overwhelmed by what college expectations are placed on you? If yes, how did you deal with that stress? Have you ever thought about whether these expectations have benefited you?

How Making Toast Could Be Your Work “Superpower”

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Olivia

Hello my lovely Scripps students and happy, happy Life After Scripps Week! For those of you that have no clue what I am talking about, I highly encourage you to check in with CP&R this week because they have put together a wonderful program filled with opportunities every day to help you strengthen your future’s possibilities. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but make sure to check out the Create Your Own Career Adventure this Thursday from 12:00-1:30 in Humanities 204! If you have enjoyed receiving advice from the many Scripps graduates through this blog, this is your chance to get even more advice. Not only that, but a little birdie told me there would be pizza and baked goods…

Now, let’s get down to business (to defeat *dun dun* the Huns…). Today, I am going to focus ’74 Scripps alumna Carolyn’s advice. Carolyn, a history major, currently has an amazing legal position at a very well known movie production company. During her time at college, she excelled in history class. This was not something she took for granted; rather she used it to her advantage.

“Everybody is going to be good at one or more things and the things you are naturally accomplished at, you tend to not value as much yourself…People make the mistake of not going with their talents because they assume they’re easy for everyone else, too.”

At first glance, her advice seems simple enough: hone in on what you’re good at and then go with it. Simple, right?

Wrong!

In today’s day and age, it’s very easy to get caught up thinking everyone has the same basic skill set. We assume everyone knows how to use Facebook. We assume everyone knows how to cook pasta. We assume everybody knows 2+2=4 and not 5… (Well, hopefully everybody at our age knows this). But just because we assume these are skills everyone possesses, doesn’t mean that they do.

Self reflect for a minute to the very basic level of all basic levels (think pumpkin spice latte level). What is something that comes naturally to you? I don’t mean advanced algebra or biology (even though those are very important and cool!), I mean something you do all the time without even thinking about it.

For me, I’m really good at constructing emails. However, I never really knew that this was an important skill until I got to my senior year of high school and had to start emailing college professors and representatives. I assumed it was basic nature for everyone in our day and age how to write a good email. Then, when I got to college, my roommate would complain about how hard it was to construct emails or texts. A lot of the time, I found myself instructing her what to say and she would be very grateful. I was so surprised—I thought that it was something everybody knew how to do.

Now, let’s dig further into this skill. What does an email or text entail? I would say it is the concise construction of words and phrases based around your targeted audience, all while keeping in mind what you hope to receive from your outreach. Looking into each part of that, I want to demonstrate how an easily overlooked skill can be crucial to a resume, job interview, etc. My ability to concisely construct words and phrases can help me not only build a resume that fully demonstrates my skills in an orderly structure, but it can also help me in a career. I can put those skills towards presentations for co-workers, using only a brief amount of time to make sure they stay interested. If I go into editing, I will be able to better communicate with my clients so they understand my comments and can increase their book’s potential.

Next, let’s look at targeting your audience. This is a skill that can be put towards anything. When I’m interviewing for jobs, I will have a good understanding of what the company is looking for and how I can best present myself in a way that is attractive to them (while staying true to myself). I will also be able to help with marketing at a book publishing company, knowing what book cover, for example, would be more captivating to the audience.

Finally, I think it is incredibly important to keep in mind your goal. When I make that presentation to my coworkers, I need to have an endpoint in mind. My presentation will have to be geared to convince them of my awesome idea. When I’m interviewing, I will need to remember that I want to be a member of the company in order to get their attention.

I really encourage all of you to take Carolyn’s advice. Take ten minutes and write down everything you are good at, and really try to focus on things that you think may be basic, everyday actions. Next, think about what that skill does for you and how you can put it towards your future goals. Who knows? You’re ability to toast bread to the perfect consistency every single time may be what your dream company is really looking for.

P.S. I would love to know what you guys discover about yourself! Please comment below if you have anything to share J

Beyond the Elms

Exploring Careers with Scripps Students

Tag Archives: Transferable skills