They say write what you know. That’s why I started College Magazine. As a senior at The University of Maryland, I knew college.
I struggled to trek across campus at 8am for my stats class.
I applied for the QUEST honors business program because my hallmate told me there would be pizza at the info session.
I rushed and joined a sorority.
I co-founded the guitar club to jam out with friends.
I flew to Italy to study abroad in Rome after an upperclassman on the drunk bus shared her adventures.
I got rejected from my first internship application at a magazine. And my second. And my third.
But I stuck with it, and through a connection from the English department I snagged an editorial internship at a home and design magazine called Spaces. Yes, my first assignment was a three-page spread on luxury doorknobs—riveting.
That experience inspired me to start College Magazine.
Writing what I knew led to me to my passion career. Fast forward to 10 years later, College Magazine now reaches 9 million college students nationwide.
But I now know what happens after college.
After working with more than 750 college students through our writer training program, I see the crisis on a daily basis. College students feel uncertain about their future career.
It’s not surprising since they’ve only been exposed to companies that are the 1% of organizations—Apple, Google, Facebook, Random House, Accenture, National Geographic—and after getting rejected from blind applications, the doubt rushes in:
“I’m not qualified.”
“I’m not connected enough.”
“I didn’t take the right classes.”
“If only I had double majored.”
But this doubt is unfounded. I know this because I’ve worked with these students and they are qualified. They have so much knowledge, talent and passion to offer organizations. In fact, College Magazine writers and editors have gone on to impressive media careers with those top brands such as NBC, Vox, Washingtonian Magazine, USA Today and Rachael Ray Magazine. They didn’t always start there though, and many of them struggled to find their way at first. That’s the part of the story that’s missing for young job seekers today.
The real issue is that students don’t know how to take the first steps toward a career by researching smaller companies that connect with their passions and meets the financial security they desire. Students lack the knowledge of how to:
- Research opportunities that align with their passion
- Write a solid resume
- Lean on their network for connections
- Interview and tell a compelling story
- Follow up and get the job
Did you know that only 34% of students believe they will graduate with the skills and knowledge to be successful in the job market? That’s according to Gallup’s 2017 College Student Survey of 32,000 students.
What I know now is that there’s a disconnect between student’s understanding of the professional world and employer’s expectations of its student applicants.
It’s why I’ve launched Find Your Passion Career, an interactive event at high schools and colleges that bridges the gap between students’ academic career and professional career. At the event students discover their passion, break through doubt and begin on an intentional path to achieve their career goals.
Ready to get started? Book Find Your Passion Career on your campus now!
Welcome to Find Your Passion Career