College Experiences That Helped An Online Educator At Bianca Lager Inc. Succeed
Bianca Lager's undergraduate experience, marked by leveraging community college to save money and "hustling" to fund their education, instilled valuable time management and financial literacy skills—essential assets in their current career as a Business Consultant & Online Educator. The choice of a history major, selected for its relative interest rather than direct career relevance, highlights the importance of perseverance and demonstrates that a flexible approach to choosing a major allows for later pivoting and career exploration.
Financial Literacy, Time Management, Career Pivoting, Resilience, Effective Degree Completion
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Bianca Lager
Business Consultant & Online Educator
Bianca Lager Inc.
University of California, Santa Barbara
Pepperdine University - MBA
History, Art History
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Entrepreneurship and Business Owner
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Leveraging community college to save money before transferring to a four-year university.
2. Developing strong time management and financial literacy skills by actively managing finances throughout college.
3. Choosing a major based on personal interest rather than solely career prospects, emphasizing the ability to pivot and adapt later on and the importance of finishing one's degree.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
For my undergrad, I transferred. The most successful thing I did, or at least I think now, is I leveraged community college as a cost-saving structure before transferring to UCSB and finishing my undergrad career.
It's really hard to do now and it's not for everybody. Part of me wishes I had that freshman dorm experience, but it just wasn't possible for me for a number of reasons.
The mentality I grew in college was one of hustling and getting things done. This was a necessity for me because of my financial position. My parents weren't in a financial position to support me in college, so I really had to hustle.
This served me well throughout my career because I learned a lot about time management and finances. I learned how to fundraise and raise money through scholarships and loans, making sure I was savvy.
Having a strong understanding of your financial landscape during and after college is crucial. I cannot emphasize financial literacy enough to any undergrad. Even if your parents support you, pay attention to every dollar and how it works.
Credit cards, loans, and other financial matters start happening quickly once you're out on your own. A strong foundation understanding the value of a dollar is very important.
Lastly, the other thing is to finish. Just get it done. One thing that helped me was picking a major that wasn't necessarily career-driven. There's a lot of debate over this, but I picked something I hated the least and found at least interesting.
I was a history major. I just liked learning about other people, like the gossip of it all. History is a hard subject, not necessarily easy, but I liked it enough to get through it.
If you're worried about a direct career path, don't sweat it as much. You can figure it out later, you can pivot, you can hustle, and it's all good. So just get the degree, get through it, and there's a lot of experimentation for you on the other side.