Despite having over a year of schooling ahead of me, a creeping sensation of fear had already begun to form in my mind: I am graduating in May, and I will have to find a job.
In high school, the effects of "senioritis" had caused an irritating condition of impatience as graduation approached. I'm sure everyone can attest to having experienced that longing desire to move out of the house and finally embark on the life-changing journey that we all expected college would be. This time around, being a senior still has that excitement of knowing that a new life is just over the horizon; if you're like me however, this new journey has a little catch that the previous one didn't: it won't be funded by the charity of mom and dad.
Although our fourth years will hold some of the most memorable times of our lives, they will also be a time of job interviews, career researching and decision making. If you haven't started getting butterflies in your stomach yet don't worry -- they'll be there soon enough. And if the fear of not landing a job isn't the one that's causing your nightmares, then maybe it's the possibility that -- if you're lucky enough to already have a job pending -- it may become the bane of your existence. If in your mind your future looks remarkably similar to scenes from Office Space, don't worry -- you're not alone.
But before the stress of "the real world" starts sending you, along with hundreds of other students, to student health complaining of sudden, uncontrollable heart palpitations, take a deep breath and remember this: The University has a ton of resources ready and able to help you help yourself. All you have to do is to remember to take advantage of them.
I learned this first hand earlier this summer when an early bug of graduation fever caused me to prematurely freak out about May 2005. Luckily enough, I was cured by a random e-mail from a past University graduate, and a little of my own initiative.
I think it was right before finals week last spring that the e-mail from Brian was sent to my fellow majors and me. It was a simple enough message, but I hadn't fully considered it until awhile after I read first read his e-mail. Brian graduated from the University in 1996, and was dropping us a line to let us know that he was a sports broadcaster living in LA; able and willing to help any of us should we have questions about internships, careers, etc. I had been plotting a future in television production as my career of choice for quite awhile, so who better to have sent out an e-mail at this convenient time than one of our alumni currently working in the business?
So, I wrote him back a brief e-mail; explaining who I was and what I hoped to end up doing post-graduation. What I got back from him was nothing short of all I could have hoped for; he didn't just send me a few key pointers or words of wisdom that, quite frankly, I could have read in any career-help book. Instead, Brian handed me the opportunity of a lifetime, one which sent me across the country, and brought me back with a much clearer picture of what my future could be like, and perhaps more importantly, what I need to do NOW to get there.
The best piece of advice that I got from this successful former Wahoo was this: if you're curious about a certain career, go spend a week with those who do it everyday. In my situation, this meant spending a week in Los Angeles. Brian had done it himself during Spring Break of his fourth year, and admitted that it had been the turning point in his career path decision. He told me that if I booked a flight, he'd contact friends of his in the business, and book some interviews for me. And sure enough, we both did just that. Brian also advised me to simply drop by the Career Center at Bryant Stadium, and use the alumni network to look up other alumni who were working in entertainment and currently living in LA. After all, if I was going to make the trip, why not meet with as many people as possible? It sounded simple enough. Let me tell you, it was.
After a couple months of writing e-mails, sending letters and making quick phone calls, I was finally on my way to LA during the last week of July. Luckily, a good friend of mine from southern California was home for the summer, and she and her family helped me enormously in getting around the city.
All in all, spending that week in LA was the best thing I could have done to set myself up for this upcoming year. Between Brian's contacts and the ones I found myself through HoosTrak, I had arranged for over 10 interviews during that one week. With each one, I was given a new perspective on the different paths one can take in the television industry, and perhaps, more importantly, I had made a personal contact with 10 people who -- if I stay in touch during this year -- could potentially help me out in the job department. I got to experience a typical work day in each of these people's lives, visit more than five different major television studios and production companies, sit behind the scenes of a primetime network drama and, most importantly, weigh the likes and dislikes I had for each job based on the atmospheres that I observed.
I had flown to LA relatively clueless about what living on the West Coast would be like -- and I came back with a much more informed reality, as well as a pocket full of notes and suggestions on what to do over this final year in order to sell myself as a more hirable employee in 12 months.
With all the overwhelming aspects of graduating, it's sometimes difficult to remember that there is a vast community of successful alums that have already taken the steps we are about to take. But not only are they out there -- many of them are also extremely enthusiastic in helping out any young University student. They're nostalgic, talented, resourceful and willing; if you haven't considered contacting one of them, it's never too early -- or too late -- to do so.
So if the reality of being back in school has made you nervous of what it will be like to ultimately be out of school, take a deep breath, plan a road trip and relax: help is out there if you need it. Oh, and P.S.-- if anyone out there is interested in working in television and wants to visit LA, call me in a year. I have some favors to return.
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