Forks in the Road

I have so much ambition that I am not sure where I will be going with my career.  To help myself determine what I want to do in life I’ve broken my career options into four categories: Marketing Research, Entrepreneurship, Academia, and Miscellaneous.

Marketing Research

This is what I’m gearing towards.  I’ve taken a couple market research courses, I have an internship at a research firm, my resume portrays me as a market researcher.  This is my goal and I believe my internship will solidify it.  I need only to find a career that will take me with my undergraduate degree, continue to educate myself in statistical software, and much more undoubtedly.

Entrepreneurship

I’m a creative, intelligent, and reasonable individual (let’s not forget humble).  I have studied a bit of business and put my hands on several projects in the real world.  I see a few places which I may be able to fill the gap with an idea, a service or a product.  I know that being an entrepreneur is something that intrigues me, though the key importance for me is Multiple Streams of Income.  I simply need the initial knowledge and the initial capital to get an idea or two off the ground.

Academia

Ever since a professor of mine made mention of this idea it’s been stuck in my head.  Many thanks to PhD Comics for being a hilarious look into the world of PhD candidates!  I like the idea of academia as I do enjoy being at a university, surrounded by people attempting to improve their lot in life, receive an education, and change the world (results may vary per undergraduate student).  I like the idea of performing research and doing statistics.  The field of Quantitative Psychology is something that really intrigues me.  It’s also a field which apparently has a need for more students.  For this I need to get some more research experience I believe, as well as do very well on the G.R.E. in order to hopefully receive a great deal of financial aid (i.e. the kind which I don’t have to pay back).

Miscellaneous

This compromises everything else that I want to do, have interest in, or think of it as a backup plan.  Freelance web design, traditional marketing, interactive marketing, becoming a German teacher, working as a translator, etc.  Some of these double-dip with Entrepreneurship, but are not my main focus when I think of being an entrepreneur.

The most aggravating problem is that each of these paths requires a great deal of preparation and specialization!  Unfortunately, one is never sure what they will be doing in the future.  In the least I have an idea (several in actuality) of what I want to do after my graduation.  I’m banking on the fact that my internship will greatly help me with my decisions.

Internship Search Blooper

Note:

When sending out your resume you should double check everything.  I accidently sent out a resume with a cover letter for a different company.  I just feel very silly for having done so.  I then sent them an e-mail apologizing for it and hopefully it’ll be enough of a recovery…

Smile! You’re on the World Wide Web!

I am a Resident Assistant as well as a young business student.  In both situations I am constantly reminded of the impact of my actions on my future.  As a Resident Assistant I am always told to be careful of what I put on Facebook or any social networking site.  We even have had training sessions showing “Do’s and Don’ts of Facebook”.  There are even pre-made bulletin boards to explain the dangers of putting everything you do on Facebook.

From the business world I’ve been told by many employers at “Meet the Firm” nights that future employers may or may not look at social networking sites.  Whether it’s the employer or the data mining company the company hires does the looking at you’re still going to be evaluated by your online profile.  Seth Godin shows a real-world example of your Online Presence Affecting your Offline Future.

This makes things a bit more positive and empowering rather than making people feel bad about using social networks or putting their work online.  One presentation I attended recently was by Bob Dean.  His presentation was amazing but not my point.  Instead the first thing he did was show us his VirtualCV.  Initially I was unamazed.  So he put his Resume online.  Big deal.  He explained that it was not just a resume, but instead a portfolio of his work, giving concrete examples of his activities.  That’s something worth putting online.

Internship Search ’09

I’m looking now to get an internship near my home.  In this situation if it is unpaid I may be able to still work part-time elsewhere.  Some of the firms are direclty in my hometown and that would be best to multi-task between unpaid work, work, and my own fun and development.  Others are in a bigger city than my own.  Those would be harder to multi-task but would more likely be paid.

Next step is to actually reach out and contact them!  Worst case scenario that I can see is that I don’t get any work at all.  Second to worst case would be working for free but still gaining experience.

Expert Treatment

I may only be 20 years old at the time of this writing but I am at times taken seriously.  I enjoy helping others!  It’s the greatest feeling for me when someone approaches me with a problem about careers or a business decision.  I enjoy critiquing a resume here and suggesting a survey there.  I can state with certainty that consulting is the way to go for me.  I’m knowledgable in Marketing Research and I am capable of picking up knowledge on other topics quickly.

With my capacity to learn quickly as well as knowledge of statistics I believe I could help nearly any organization.  A goal of mine is to try and assist several organizations while at my University in hopes of developing my surveying skills as well as making “executive decisions”.

Internship Fair 2009

Well I’m soon to be heading over to an Internship fair at my University. I’m confident I will be able to earn one from here but they aren’t my dream internships. I still am searching in Germany. Wish me luck at the fair!

Collegiate Conundrum

I’ve been thinking a good amount about what I want to achieve in College.  The number one is Education.  Obviously I want to obtain some knowledge that will aid me in my career.  Secondly I want Experience.  This is both professionally related as well as life experience.  Currently I have been debating whether I want to finish up a.) “On-Time” b.) in Three Semesters or c.) Double Major.

I’m coming to the realization that finishing “On-Time” is just me rushing to an over-worked and over-stressed lifestyle.  Taking it slow for a few semesters and affording me more time to receive more experiences as well as pursue Self-Education.  Granted taking it slow is more expensive (nearly $2,000 more expensive) it’s less costly than staying for four semesters and double majoring and I cannot rationalize double majoring in German and Marketing when all I have to do to really say I can speak German is pass the Zertifikat Deutsch für den Beruf.

Also impending student loan fears have begun to struck as a result of Andrew Lynch‘s post about Keeping Money in Check.  Fortunately I don’t spend a great deal in Credit Cards but Student Loans and their variable rates are sneaking up fast.  Also the recent Forbes Magazine article Crushed by College has me realizing that just because I’m getting this education doesn’t mean that there will be a company looking specifically for me.

College graduates will earn $1 million more than those with only a high school diploma, brags Mercy College radio ads running in the New York Area.

Census figures show that college grads earn an average of $57,500 a year, which is 82% more than the $31,600 high school alumni make.  Multiply the $25,900 difference by the 40 years the average person works and , sure enough, it comes to a tad over $1 million.

So spending an extra $5,000 or $3,000 just for a marginally better ability to speak German and a heck of a lot more coursework I can’t see how much it’s going to really benefit me.

The More I Learn

It seems that the more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know anything.  I’m in a Business German course at the moment and I am now realzing that I have so much more to learn before I can successfully go out and get a job in Germany.  The important part is that as I learn I grow more confident in my abilities.

Ask me a few days ago to go out and look at Anforderungen and I wouldn’t be able to tell you who the company is let alone what they’re looking for.  Fortunately now I’m willing to go out and try to figure it out!