It’s okay to be a little lost.
Thanks to intense and unnecessary pressure, not enough college students know that. Many find themselves unable to navigate the job market and find the right career—but it’s not their fault.
Effective career exploration tools are few and far between, so we built a platform for students to make better decisions about their future.
Most early- to mid-career professionals with whom you’ll speak today will have one thing in common: a non-linear career path that spans different industries, roles and companies. Much rarer are the careers our parents had, when they decided what they wanted to be and spent 40+ years doing that thing at the same company. A recent Gallup poll showed that “21% of millennials say they've changed jobs within the past year, which is more than three times the number of non-millennials who report the same.” Although not ideal for employers, this is something to take note of for any current college students, recent graduates or early professionals who are just at the beginning of their journeys. Nothing is set in stone—our careers can be a journey of exploration, learning and self-discovery.
Now over a decade into my career—and as a co-founder of Advize — I hope that by setting the record straight and speaking candidly about what career paths really look like, we can better inform those entering the workforce about all the career path options and relieve young people of the pressure to “figure it all out” from the beginning.
So how do you start thinking about and planning for your career, especially when you have little to no experience in the working world?
Exploring Diverse Career Paths: Navigating Internships, Entry-Level Positions, and Exciting Opportunities
Start with the basics: what role best suits your current or desired skills. If you’re a current student, you’ve likely selected a major or focus area of study. Majors don’t necessarily lead to one specific career path, but they can be a good first point of reference for what roles to check out. For example, English majors tend to excel in communication or written analysis. Advizers who were English majors are now in roles like Erin, VP of Partnerships at a consumer packaged goods company; Mike, an Institutional Account Manager at Coinbase; and Rachel, who an Alternate Public Defender. Another example is Engineering majors who might have more technical programming skills, but are also great problem-solvers and critical thinkers. Advizers who were Engineering majors are now in roles like Nathan, a Strategy Analyst at Boeing; Joselle, a Construction Manager at DMCI Project Developers Inc.; and Hema, a Senior Product Manager at Amazon.
Roles reflect what you are doing in the day-to-day of your job. Once you have a sense of what role (or roles) reflect the skills you have or are interested in attaining, the next step is to decide what industry to which you’d like to apply those skills. This is where you can tap into your interests or passions and think about what environment might excite you to be around. Think about the “rooms” that you want to be in and the company that you want to keep. Saya, an International Relations major, was interested in event management and community engagement work. She merged her skills with her passion for sports and found her ideal role within her favorite industry, working for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers as a Community Relations Senior Manager. Myron, a Chemistry major, found a role as the Manager of Operations Excellence at Sharp HealthCare. In this role, Myron can utilize his problem solving skills in an industry that he cares about.
Of course, many other factors go into whether or not a job is a good fit. People who thrive in a lot of structure tend to do better in large companies while those who flourish in startups prefer less framework and more autonomy. Personal characteristics also play a role—extroverts do well in sales and account management roles whereas introverts are more suited for more independent work such as accounting, coding or editing. Salary can also be a crucial factor with regards to taking a job. Student loan debt or other financial obstacles can heavily influence the types of roles people choose.
As you dive into this exciting—and sometimes overwhelming—time, remember that careers are not one-size-fits-all and that what you want to get out of yours will change over time. And that’s okay! There are more linear paths that require more education, like medical school or law school, but even in those fields, the opportunities are endless to suit your personal skills, passions and drive.
Jobs, internships, entry-level jobs, and diverse career path options more make up your career.
Historically, the workforce has held up systemic barriers that have kept marginalized communities out of certain industries and roles. We are at a turning point where employers and recruiting managers are now more focused than ever before on hiring more diverse workforces and understanding the benefits that come with them. At Advize, we are dedicated to expanding career insight access for early talent, especially those without exposure through their existing networks.
Advize is a career exploration hub allowing students to access recorded informational interviews from early- to mid-career professionals across industries and roles. Our analytics-driven platform makes it easy for students to learn about different careers, ask questions and make more informed decisions. With Advize, students can get insights from people who have actually done the job, arming themselves with direct and reliable information to help execute their career goals earlier.
We believe that students deserve to set the tone for their future— not get swallowed up by the pressures of the present. Our mission is to empower students to productively pursue career success by accessing free videos of real people sharing their stories and advice. Advize leads you to your “light bulb moment.”
Follow Advize on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/advizehub/