By Kristen Pearson
Contributor, Career Services
Growing up, I was bombarded with images of fictional princesses whose lives evince an unrealistic quality of perfection. Believing in fairytales and that you too will have a perfect life or job, in today’s day and age, is imprudent. Now, while someone who, personally, still loves to get lost in the beautiful voice of Belle, from Disney’s epic cartoon drama “Beauty and the Beast,” that Candide-like optimism does not extend my personal or professional life – even if I find happiness and joy in each, neither are models of perfection. So this raises the question: When does fantasy become reality? Having the fairytale mindset when it comes to your job search can be detrimental to your future. In the next two posts, I will discuss the necessary evils of being realistic in your approach to your professional career search.
First and foremost, probably the most important rule to launching a career is to start planning, early. The earlier you can come to a conclusion the better. My older brother knew that he wanted to be a doctor when he was five and never wavered. He is now in his final years of residency at a top three hospital for his field in the nation. Unfortunately for me, I bought into the Disney fairytale dream and had no real direction going into college. In fact, I was undeclared for two years. Subconsciously, I guess I was hoping for Prince Charming to run in and save the day, or maintained the hope that everything would just fall into place without any work. But once I finished my second year, it became very apparent that I needed to make some decisions and figure out my life – a life without the picturesque, fairytale quality of a Disney fairytale. I eventually discovered that I liked creative writing and speaking to anyone who would listen, which is how I fell into the amazing world of communication studies. You could also say I stumbled into my career by chance, but it took a while to get here. And if I had my goals laid out more realistically, I may have found my passion for higher education earlier in life.
So my advice to you? Plan. Research the fields that you are interested in, go to websites like glassdoor.com, or talk to someone who works in the field to find out what the ins-and-outs of the job are really about. You also want to make sure you are enrolled in the right degree program and know what experience is required. If you need to have an internship, line one up early. If the field requires a master’s degree, I would encourage you to prepare yourself for the extra years of writing term papers. This may sound crazy, but going to your counselor your senior year of high school, or the career services department in your university your freshman year can be extremely beneficial, and may help you avoid complications when it’s time to job search. Monster.com published a fantastic article, It’s Never Too Early to Start Your Job Hunt, that reiterates the need to start planning early. So to conclude, try to avoid the ‘what if’s’ at all costs. Don’t hope for a Disney fairytale that may never fully materialize. Plan ahead and set yourself up to have the best future you can.
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