Why Your College Major Doesn’t Matter


Posted by ajlovesya

With only 55% of millennials employed–the lowest percentage since World War II–there is a pressing need to pinpoint the reason behind this depressing statistic.  After all, with this generation being the most educated, surely we all should be able to find employment, no matter what the economy is.  The consensus seems to be that if millennials are struggling, there is one reason: they don’t know how to choose the right college major.

It makes sense to me that professional track majors would yield higher employment statistics as there is often a clear path and clear opportunities.  This does not mean that those who chose liberal arts majors are doomed and I think the focus on college majors reinforces problematic thinking around careers:

1.  It implies that careers are linear. There are jobs today that didn’t exist years ago.  As a result of the weakening economy, we’ve realized that there is no such thing as economic security, prompting the rise of slash careers and side hustles.   In other words, the market is different and the older approach of school –> job –> career simply doesn’t apply any more.    This is especially true if you are interested in public service careers where a linear path never really existed.

2.  It reduces college to job training.  I majored in sociology and that is a small component of my college experience. I took some fabulous courses–some in subjects I was just curious about.  I spent nine months in South Africa.  I started blogging.  I had great internships.  I grew my network.  I created an experience that simply made me interesting and more competitive.  And this is the beauty of college.  I don’t think it’s a coincidence that many leaders across sectors–from Wendy Kopp to Mark Zuckerberg–started their innovative, groundbreaking businesses in college.  In college you have choices and can build yourself up in a way that’s not always possible outside of the ivory tower.

3.  It ignores the importance of excellence and self-determination (and implies that jobs are given, not earned):  Excellence and self-determination are key no matter where you are in your career, however they are especially important when you are just starting out.  No matter what you do, do it well, and do it with purpose.  Very few of us know exactly what we want to do when we graduate from college, yet you can still put your best efforts into your work and reflect on the skills, networks, and opportunities you have now earned as a result of that work.

So instead of harping on majors, why don’t we focus on integrating stellar career support programs into colleges?  Why don’t we expose people to opportunities and encourage them to act on these possibilities?

In the end, the career killers are lack of self-awareness and mediocrity, not the wrong degree.


5 Questions to Help You Create Your 2012 Nonprofit Career Plan


Posted by ajlovesya

On Wednesday, Rosetta Thurman and I hosted our first #ynpchat of the year on creating a 2012 nonprofit career plan.  The questions, adapted from Rosetta’s powerful piece on the 15 questions you should ask about your nonprofit career, strengthened our sense of pride in our work and allowed us to walk away with a better vision and strategy on how to rock our careers in 2012.

 

1.  What do you most want to get out of your involvement with the nonprofit sector?  In other words, why are you here? What are you hoping to learn and do that will help you grow professionally and personally?

 

2.  What accomplishments in your nonprofit career were you most proud of in 2011?  I must say that the responses to this questions blew me away.  From raising money, to implementing new programs, to finding our voice in the sector,  we clearly have done a lot of good for ourselves and others.  Yet so often, we are quiet about the work we do, thinking that to focus on accomplishments is taking attention away from the problems we may be addressing.  Yet the reality is, if we dont celebrate what we do, nobody else will and our accomplishments often lead to more interest in our work.   So let your light shine, people!  My challenge to participants: do you have a portfolio of your accomplishments?

 

3.  What opportunities do you want to take advantage of in 2012 to grow your leadership and further your nonprofit career? This question essentially has two parts 1. Understanding how you would like to grow and 2. identifying those opportunities that would aid in your growth. In reflecting on your accomplishments and your reasons for choosing your work, it’s easier to think about how you’d like to grow and seek programs, events, or other opportunities that would help you.

 

4.  What’s ONE step you can take in the next 30 days to make progress on your 2012 career goals?  I don’t know about you, but it’s so easy for me to make a list of my goals then walk away hoping they get done.  30 days to take one step makes progress actionable and manageable.

 

5.  Given your 2012 career goals, what’s your ONE-WORD theme to guide your work for the year?  VISION.   FOCUS. CREATIVITY.  DISCIPLINE.  My personal favorite: STRENGTHEN.  Thinking of the previous questions, what  word embodies your success, your ambitions, and your plans?

 

This was one of the most exciting chats we’ve hosted and proved to be a great way to kick of the new year.  Didn’t participate in the chat?  Check out the responses on twitter.  You can also share your thoughts below, on facebook, or tweet your responses using the#ynpchat hashtag so we can keep the conversation going.  And be sure to join us Wednesday, February 1, 12PM-1PM EST for the next chat!

Photo credit


What did 2011 teach you?


Posted by ajlovesya

This is my favorite time of year. People are reflecting and sharing excitement about possibilities and growth. There is simply a lot of positivity and promise in the air.

2011 seemed to be a year of transitions and lessons for me and those I love: my five year college reunion is coming up (five years? already?); my mailbox was full of wedding invitations; my calendar was overflowing with good bye parties as friends went off to grad school; I celebrated big professional wins and took the plunge into GRE prep; and I have a neat stack of failed projects and squandered opportunities that I look at occasionally as a reminder that while mistakes are inevitable, the world wont come crashing down. I’m also celebrating my fourth year of blogging and my birthday–milestones that make it easy for me to track my growth and encourage me to plan for my future.

While the changes seemed to come fast and suddenly, they also signal a general movement towards a better understanding of who I am and what I value. I realize that I have everything I need to create the professional and personal experiences I desire. My focus now is on  nurturing and leveraging–people, ideas, skills, work–instead of just adding, in order to move forward.

Here’s to being more deliberate and more focused; to saying no in order to get to yes; to prioritizing; to being grateful; and to making mistakes.

What did 2011 teach you?


Three Ways to Work More Deliberately


Posted by ajlovesya

I’ve become increasingly focused on having the right mindset when working.  I worry that sometimes we work without focus and deliberation.  Aside from leading us to feel unfulfilled, we also lose confidence in our skills.   We can’t pinpoint our strengths and weaknesses, as our work just seems to be a series of endless tasks.  We don’t reflect on our accomplishments and where/how we thrive and instead focus on just getting things done.  In doing so, we don’t sharpen our skills and instead allow them to become dull.

Fortunately, there are some simple ways to work more deliberately:

Solve a problem outside of work:  Seek opportunities to leverage your skills in new contexts that present new challenges.  This can be as simple as helping a friend or colleague solve a problem that is related to your work, volunteering at an organization, or starting a blog where you provide advice regularly on your area of expertise.  In each situation, the focus is on solving problems which requires you to think beyond your day to day while harnessing your talents and experiences.

Reflect regularly:  Whether it’s daily, weekly, or monthly, in a journal or online, asking yourself meaningful questions about your work can go a long way in helping you become better at what you do.  The right questions can help you zero in on what you’re good at, what challenges you face while helping you develop strategies for building up your expertise.  Michelle Martin over at Bamboo Project Blog often asks great questions and shares tips for reflection.

Join an association:  Associations provide a variety of opportunities to their members including workshops, jobs, social events, and chances to get involved in the planning and leading of the organization.  All of these activities allow you to meet people, learn, and work.  A great place to start is the local Young Nonprofit Professionals Network chapter near you.  You can also seek associations related to your field.

In and out of the office we can adopt strategies that allow us to put our professional growth at the center of our work. What other strategies would you add?

Photo credit


Five Ways Thinking Like a Blogger Can Help You Professionally


Posted by ajlovesya

The more I blog, the less I am able to turn off my blogger mind.  (And yes, there is such a thing as a blogger’s mind.  Read for sheer  hilarity.)  Rather than limiting my focus, it’s helping me be more productive in other areas of my professional life.  Here’s how:

  • I think in terms of lessons learned:  When I attend an event or read an interesting article I’d like to discuss, I think in terms of takeaways.  I ask:  what would my readers find most useful?  By thinking this way, you are able to drill down on what matters most to the people you are working with.
  • I look for links:  I like to link to a variety of sources to back up what I say, provide resources, or simply to connect with a new community/blogger.   I do so while keeping in mind the purpose of my work and my audience.  Thinking about how to build relationships—for your organization or to strengthen your own network—is key for professional growth.
  • I stay on top of what works:  I’ve been blogging for almost four years about how millennials can land public service careers.  In that time, the blogosphere and the discussion on nonprofit work have changed.  There are better metrics, strategies and opportunities to build brand recognition, greater participation from a variety of people in the conversation, and more.  Being part of this community, I am often exposed to and engage in these changes to help me be a better writer.  Staying on top of what works allows for thoughtful engagement and strategizing.
  • I know when to say no:  When you get even just a hint of success as a blogger, folks will come to you with all kinds of offers and requests.  They’ll ask you to write about something, to speak at events, to mentor or advise them on how to blog.  At first it is flattering, but then you realize that sometimes they don’t have you or your audience in mind and that your participation may not move you forward or be helpful.  Keeping in mind what your focus is and how you and the people you serve will benefit is crucial when navigating potential partnerships.
  • I value the process of writing: Brainstorming ideas, choosing the right words, editing, sharing, and of course, reading, are practices that help me write better offline.  Being able to write well (and write well regularly) is useful skill across professions, especially in an increasingly digital world where we are all sharing our voices and stories.

While the conversation around blogging has focused on traffic and branding, the benefits of blogging are much more diverse and the skills we develop easily translate to other aspects of our work.

What do you think?  Have you been blogging?  What skills have you developed as a blogger that have helped you in your offline work?

Photo Credit