Life after School

By Wesley Collazo
Staff Writer

While the future is full of possibilities, it is always important to remember that success will be met with challenges. By preparing for those challenges, we can place ourselves on the path toward achievement.
Image courtesy of www.yapa.org.au.

The traditional design of school goes like this: get good grades, get into a great college, graduate with a degree and boom! You are now in the career you have always wanted.

However, this is a misconception from beginning to end. Many students are “lucky” or fortunate with the fact that success or a career comes at an early age. For others it is a constant struggle not just after graduation, but throughout their entire education, even starting as far back as high school. Many businesses are in a slump with the economic state, and so many jobs are not available. Trying to master life, career and business today is a struggle, and for many it will be an even bigger uphill battle.

Building a future from your college education is not as easy as it once was. The state of the world is making it difficult for young entrepreneurs to succeed. Students across the nation pour so much into a college education, striving to achieve that career that they have dreamt of since elementary school, in return only running into road blocks that no one could ever anticipate.

For example, as a communications major, my ultimate goal/dream is to open a successful public relations firm that serves to the masses across the board. Realistically, this will be a challenge.

Without selling myself short, I still realize that my dream may never happen. I am fine with that.

However, many students I have observed seem determined to conquer their field. They end up getting so consumed in being successful, that in return they are actually losing the battle. To help, one thing that needs to be addressed is the perception of achievement when you finally receive your college degree. Going through school I was always told, "go to college, receive that degree and you will be successful". Seem a bit far-fetched? To say the least!

There are ways to make the transition into your career easier. One way is to experience the inevitable struggles you will face in the future, through others today. For instance, I have joined forces with an up and coming clothing line business that is in its early stages. I work to help them develop their audience, and shed light on their products as a whole. It is a struggle to have all the ducks in order, but I see this as an opportunity that can potentially help me out in the near future.

Having a firsthand view of the struggle to establish a business, I can live vicariously through my employers, and learn to better prepare myself for the hard times I may face when I work towards a business of my own.

Because of this, I have realized that not only what I learn in classrooms will help me in the future, but that ultimately, having experience is the vital ingredient to success. I now know that mapping out a plan ahead of time before entering college will be highly beneficial when you are gearing up for the start of your career.