One college graduate explains why she went straight to working a full-time job.
Read about one Kaplan Student Brand Ambassador’s career goals in the workplace to help you determine what’s next for you.
What I’ve already accomplished
I consider myself lucky to have picked the major that felt right to me right at the start of college. By the time senior year rolled around, many of my friends were stressing over business or graduate school applications and anxiously awaiting letters of acceptance. As a public relations major, I never had intentions of going to grad school, at least not immediately following undergrad.
During my spring semester of senior year, I spent my time between classes applying for post-grad internships and full-time jobs in New York City. In late March, I was overjoyed and relieved to have accepted a post-graduate internship with a PR agency in the city. In my three months working there, I was able to take the lessons from my capstone courses and apply them to real-world clients. I learned how each function in the office helped the business operate, and I found mentors in my team of colleagues. They all helped me grow my career skills tremendously, and showed me that the learning is far from over after graduating.
The internship prepared me to take a full-time job at another PR agency in the city, where I love what I’m doing each day to help share my clients’ stories.
What I’m doing now to prepare for what’s ahead
Especially for someone taking an entry-level role, there’s so much to learn from everyone in the office—from the senior-level executives to junior-level associates. I sit in on as many training sessions as I can, listen carefully, and take notes on the important pieces of information. I learn from my boss and always say yes when I have time to help someone with a task. This is how I’m taking control of my career goals and thinking ahead for where I’d like to see myself a year from now.
As a student, hard work earns you an A and often establishes a good relationship with your professor (who can act as a mentor or write a letter of recommendation). In a full-time job, hard work advances the business and is noticed by coworkers and supervisors who take it into account when writing year-end reviews. In a way, I see my full-time job as a unique classroom environment where learning is encouraged and rewarded with earning the reputation of a reliable, hard-working employee.
What’s next for me in my future career goals
If you had asked me two years ago where I saw myself outside of college, working at a PR agency in the heart of New York City would have been my last answer. I brushed it off as being far too competitive (and expensive). But after spending a semester studying abroad in Europe, I realized I didn’t want to limit myself in where I set my sights and long-term career goals. It’s hard to say where I’ll end up next, but I do know I’d like to stay in the city working the PR agency life for a while longer.
Working with multiple clients makes my day insanely busy, but I love it because there’s always something to do, and I’d much rather be in that situation than having my day slowly drag on. I chose not to pursue a graduate or business degree immediately out of college because I’ve had many mentors along the way in college who have done incredibly well for themselves without additional schooling. The classes I took in college were a great way for me to verify that I was studying the right major and to absorb as much knowledge about the field I was preparing to enter.
In the years to come, when I ideally gain enough experience to reach a senior-level position, earning my masters or a business degree isn’t out of the question. Many companies support the decision to go back to school for this, and I know it will help me down the line to get where I want to be. For now, I couldn’t be happier with where my degree has taken me, and I take comfort in knowing I have a job that I can say I truly enjoy.
Find out what’s next for your future with our five-question quiz—and unlock tools to help you look ahead, like career and salary info for those who earn an MBA.
The post My Career Goals (Workplace Edition): What’s Next for Jessica appeared first on Business School Insider.
