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Which college provides the best opportunity in my career choice?

In this field it is not just about the education you receive, it is also about the exposure and the internships available. I need guidance and direction to move forward and make the best choices. #career #best internships

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Thank you comment icon What is your career choice? Noreen MacMahon
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Ken’s Answer

 It really does not matter what school you attend, as the most important factors are how well you do with the school work, which is an indication to an employer about what kind of employee you will be, and the effort that you put forth in your networking to set up networking connections that will help you throughout your education/career journey. Here is an important video for you to watch: ## http://www.ted.com/talks/julie_lythcott_haims_how_to_raise_successful_kids_without_over_parenting?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=talk&utm_term=education ##


The most important thing for you to do is to find out how your personality traits relate to people who are successful in career areas and then meet and talk to people who are doing what you think that you might want to do , so that you can see what they do, how they got there, and what advice and suggestions that they might have for you.


Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
Here are some good tips on reducing college costs. Too many people spend way too much money on an education and end up with unnecessarily high debt. ## http://www.educationplanner.org/students/paying-for-school/ways-to-pay/reduce-college-costs.shtml ##
Thank you comment icon Thank you! Julian
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Chuck’s Answer

I do not know the field you are seeking advice upon, but the one thing I can tell you is that there is no single 'best' school for university that provides opportunities to you. All opportunities in life will come from the work you choose to undertake, the joy you provide to others and the happiness you find in doing the work you choose. People naturally gravitate toward those who can decide to be happy doing their work . Opportunities come when people recognize that emotional intelligence, the desire to be a contributor and the feeling of working with someone who cares about what they are doing.

Yes, there is a perception that certain schools are chosen by certain companies for their 'choice' of graduates, but the reality is that the best school in the world does not guarantee that the graduate will be a person that succeeds. Success is a matter of choosing to do the work. There is no 'instant success' in life, unless you are a person that is in entertainment, have a wealthy family and inherit everything or win the lottery. Even then, that is no guarantee of success either.

My advice is to study hard, work toward your happiness and be adaptable. There is no one path to success, and every failure is just another attempt to learn a lesson. How we handle the failures we experience will determine our level of success. If you get back up every day regardless of how the previous day went and move forward, you can succeed. People recognize determination, drive and stamina. Opportunities come to those who are willing to do the work and can adapt.

If the field is a "who you know, not what you know" industry, I'd advise finding another field of study. That filed would be predicated on denying opportunity based on skills, drive and knowledge, and would be destined to fail at some point. The long-term fields are those that are open to diversity of thought, experience and education. in my experience.

Hope that provides some food for thought in your chosen field.

Chuck recommends the following next steps:

Ask to interview people who have succeeded in the field you are interested in. Write them a letter if you can't see them in person. I've had correspondence with many of the people in my chosen field.
If possible, shadow someone in your chosen field. It helps to see what really occurs in the field daily. A 'day in the life of' someone will provide perspective.
If the chosen field has barriers to entry or insight, then it probably isn't inclusive and might be best left alone. Unless the role is doing something classified, in which case that will have natural barriers.
Think how the role will benefit not only you, but those around you as well. Happiness comes from helping others and making the world a better place.
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