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Key Takeaways Be serious about believing in your goals, and develop a unique set of skills that can make you stand out in a sea of resumes.
Take risks. Instead of asking, “What if this doesn’t work out?” ask, “What happens if this does work out?”
Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and say “peace out” to those who don’t share in your joy.
“This can’t be the end for me. I haven’t even traveled the world yet!” I remember shouting some variation of those words to a friend after we had been told that the job market was shrinking before our careers ever got started in 2008. I was headed into my sophomore year of college, and the doom of what was ahead of us, young and hopeful kids, was looking more like a reality I wasn’t willing to accept.
But the many headlines alluding to the bleak world I was about to enter post-college did keep me up at night — no lies there. “College Grads to Face Toughest Job Market in Years” – PBS News, June 6th, 2008, for example, is one of many headlines I remember reading and wondering if I had any clue what I was doing in school. I had classmates actually give up and quit college to go back home and brace for the chaos.
And yes, there was a time I considered skipping a year of school to save the money and see how things would shape up. Instead, I held tight to my goals, my dreams and all the things I wanted to do … get married, have a family, travel, see the Cubs win a World Series (I think my fandom counts as hard work). And while I’m still figuring out a lot of life, for the most part, I’ve succeeded in my baseline goals.
It’s clear to me that right now, today’s students and recent graduates are facing similar challenges with doom and gloom headlines left and right — some even saying that AI could wipe out 20% of jobs in the next five years. I may not have all the answers, but I do have these words: Fear nothing. Take risks. And keep going. Here are my tips for succeeding anyway.
Related: 5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Was Starting My Career
Be serious about believing in your goals
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