Lessons Learned - "The Devil's Advocate"

When it comes to giving advice, there are two types of people:

1. People who are afraid to make their own decision, so they ask for advice and actually take it.
2. People who ask for advice in hopes to validate the decision they already made.

Because its a 50-50 chance that you are going to do "what the hell you want to do" anyway, this column is my way of fulfilling my civic duty, like jury duty. My objective is to supply you information, possible options and alternatives to help you make an informed decision that works best for you.

DEAR Workerbee,

"I will be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism next year and I really want to work as a writer for a magazine or newspaper. I don't have any experience in the field but I am willing to work hard and do whatever it takes. Since I have a year until graduation do you have any suggestions as to how I should prepare to job hunt once I graduate?"

~Girl who doesn't want to graduate without a job in my field.

Dear Girl who doesn't want to graduate......

I am glad that you are attempting to take a proactive approach to your career planning. First, I want to say that it is very common for recent graduates to take a job that is not in their field of study upon graduation. There is nothing wrong with doing so; gaining professional work experience allows you to gain exposure in different environments and become well rounded. With your lack of experience, I suggest, if you haven't done so already join a writing club, join the newspaper staff at your college or university and try to secure an internship. Gaining these types of experiences although unpaid will give you items to put on your resume as well as compile a writing portfolio of your writing to present at a job interview. Lastly, start researching potential employers that you may be interested in working for and going as far as reaching out to contacts at the company to inquire about paid internships and entry level positions. You know what they say....the early bird catches the worm!

Good Luck!

Got a question, let me know!