Future Job

            I like most others have no idea what my life is going to be like once I graduate. I believe that like myself, many others hope that they can find a good job and live independently, but there are many steps to get to that point. The major that I picked here at Illinois was Economics, and I chose to have a double minor in Statistics and Informatics so that I would stand out from the crowd. I picked these three things because when I left high school I had no idea what I wanted to do. In today’s job market you need a college degree and I knew that I had to go to college, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I looked back on my three favorite classes in high school which were AP Economics, AP Statistics and Computer programming and figured that if I enjoyed it then, I would enjoy it now, and I do. I had always heard the quote, “do what you love and you will never work a day in your life” and I believe that as this quote may be true, it is also very hard to get a well-paying job. With that being said the hardest part about finding a job is showing a company that you are unique, because for every one job opening there are over 100 people who want that job. That is why I try to make myself stand out from the pack by adding a double minor, being involved with on campus clubs, and working internships. I believe that all of these things will help me get a job, which in the grand scheme of things is only step one. I believe that these actions are helping me reduce income risk because I look at these actions as investments for my future. I would much rather have spent my time traveling than working last summer, and I would much rather be relaxing than studying during the school year, but all of these thing have a purpose in my life, and that is to help me get a job. In the grand scheme of things getting your first job out of college is only step one.

            I have two older brothers who have entered the work force and have been given a lot of advice from them. Mainly they told me that preparation and patience are the two most important things one can do. Preparing yourself for something will make it much easier. Though I am very good at improvising, putting in effort beforehand makes the process much easier. This came true to me last week when I had my first job interview. I researched the company before hand and had prepared questions and answers so that when the time for the interview came I felt way less pressure than I could have. They also told me that patience is the best way to stay sane. It took both of them a few months to find a job once they graduated, and they told me at points they felt hopeless. This was because there was always someone who was just a little more qualified than you, or you weren’t the right fit at the company, etc. But thankfully they both found jobs that they absolutely love. Also with patience they told me that moving out of the house was a big step, and not to rush into it. They both lived with my parents for about six months after they got their job so that they could build up a good credit line, save money and make the right move. They told me that it was very hard for them to not instantly move out and into the city because commuting every day was terrible, but they were glad that they waited.

            Since they are my brothers I took their words very seriously and try to apply those principals to my hunt for a job so that when the time comes I know that I can manage my situation well.