Category Archives: millennial leadership

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!

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What It Really Takes to Do What You Love


Posted by ajlovesya


The mantra of my peers is that we want to do what we love, or pursue our passions.  Unfortunately I think the way we talk about pursuing passion may actually make it more difficult to live the lives we want.

Two Problems with Passion

Passion is Seen as Sufficient

There are countless stories of people who break free from their cubicles to pursue a lifelong dream whether it is writing a novel, starting a bakery, or just freelancing.  What’s missing, though, from these stories are the risks, investments, and skills required to make these kinds of transitions.  Interested in photography?  Are you ready to make a financial investment in equipment?  Want to start a restaurant?  How will you land customers and refine your menu?  In other words, the jump from hobby to skilled professional is a big one and often, passion alone isn’t enough.

Passion is Presented as Static

One of my favorite social change awards is the Purpose Prize, which supports people over the age of 60 who are interested in launching socially minded ventures.  What I love about it are the journeys many of the awardees have taken up to the moment they land an award.  Some have been involved in social change work all of their lives or have done work that has an explicit connection to their project.  Others have had work in different industries and professions that planted a seed or sparked interest in pursuing social change work more directly.   They all share a desire to make a difference through their work yet how they arrived there varies.  When we talk about passion, unfortunately, we talk about it as if it is static—just one idea/feeling/action that will carry you throughout life as opposed to a mindset that allows you to seize meaningful opportunities as they come.

Changing the Conversation about Passion

I point out these problems not because I don’t think doing what you love is unrealistic; instead I think our portrayal of what it takes to do what you love ignores the reflection and persistence that is required.

We speak of passion the way we speak of true love: something worth pursuing, something quite lovely, but something that can’t be defined.   However, the opposite is often true; when we do what we love, we become even more focused and deliberate to ensure we are doing it well and are truly fulfilled.

So let’s change the conversation about pursuing passion.

Passion as a Mindset

What if instead of looking at passion as an end goal or something that needs to be pursued, we looked at it as a way of thinking and reflecting that allows us to enjoy various opportunities.  What if we asked:

  1. Do I feel as if I am contributing to something larger than myself?
  2. Do I feel I am leveraging my talents and time in a way that makes me feel most useful?
  3. Do I feel connected to others around me and to my work?

Passion as a Launching Pad

Additionally, knowing what we love to do is just the beginning.  When it comes time to put passion into practice we need to ask three large questions:

  1. What do I enjoy doing often?
  2. What am I willing to put the time and resources into becoming excellent at?
  3. What social need can I meet by doing what I love well?

By beginning to answer these questions we can really dig into what it means to do what we love.

What do you think?  Do we need to shift our understanding of passion and its role in our careers?

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Staying competitive in the workforce when you’re looking for work


Posted by ajlovesya

I am happy to welcome this guest post from Elizabeth Campbell, an aspiring nonprofiteer in Chicago. While my last post discussed the importance of  managing your professional development, what does this mean when you’re looking for work or are new to working?  What actions can you take or resources can you leverage to grow and stay competitve?  Elizabeth shares her thoughts below.  Be sure to add yours in the comments!

As someone who has recently graduated and joined the real world, I can tell you that staying competitive in the job market takes dedication and lots of patience.

But I will say I’m lucky. I already know for certain that I want to work in the nonprofit sector. I’m devoted to social change and building communities. I might be unemployed in a large city, but I know exactly where to look for work. I’m also keeping busy in many ways as I send out résumés and cover letters with fingers crossed.

  • Reading the local paper. In just a few weeks of reading the Chicago Tribune every day, I’ve learned so much about this town. Not only do I feel more prepared for job interviews, I also care much more deeply about this community, which helps me stay motivated.
  • Researching local organizations. In addition to applying to jobs via website such as Idealist, Opportunity Knocks, or Chicago’s NPO.net, I spend lots of time going to the websites of individual organizations I find interesting. Even if they aren’t hiring, I add them to my list of organizations to keep an eye on. I read up on their history, mission, programs and staff.
  • Reading articles, social media posts, blogs and books about nonprofits. You might have noticed by now that a lot of my time is spent reading. Online and offline, I’ve been catching up on nonprofit sector news. News sites such as Chronicle of Philanthropy, Nonprofit Quarterly, Nonprofit Times and Philanthropy Journal offer a lot of information without having to subscribe. Spending time on social networking sites like Twitter and LinkedIn lets me see not only what’s going on with other nonprofit professionals, but also what they think. It encourages conversations and connections. And, of course, catching up on sector-related books and blogs helps me feel like I know what I’m talking about to prospective employers.
  • Joining a member organization. I’ve joined YNPN-Chicago. It was free and a close friend is on the board, so I had no excuse. And so far I’ve met many other nonprofit professionals. Not only have a made some friends, I’ve gotten the opportunity to volunteer with their Programming Committee. I’m learning some new skills and having a voice in this association. 
  • Maintaining down time: crossword puzzles, reading, writing letters to friends. This is very important. Every day I make sure I do certain activities just for the enjoyment I get out of them. Especially as I wind down for the night, I love to work on the paper’s crossword puzzle, read a book just for fun (currently, it’s F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Tender is the Night”), and writing letters to my friends scattered all over the country. It relaxes me and keeps me sane!

Staying competitive in the workforce means staying knowledgeable. But just because I can’t afford all the wonderful workshops and conferences that Chicago has to offer, doesn’t mean I can’t keep learning. Taking advantage of Web-based media and professional networking keeps me dedicated and enthusiastic. That way, when I do finally get an amazing job, I’ll hit the ground running.

In the meantime, I’ve got another cover letter to write.


Elizabeth recently earned her B.F.A. in Writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She now lives in Chicago where she’s looking for work in nonprofit administration. You may reach her online through her website, blog, Twitter and LinkedIn.


How do you know you’re making a difference?


Posted by ajlovesya

 

Last night I attended a presentation by idealist.org about a new program they are piloting in NYC that will allow people to act as Connectors in their communities. These people will help others find the resources and networks they need to take action on an issue they are passionate about, online and offline.

I walked away from the presentation with a renewed appreciation for the daily actions people take to try to make a difference and how the barriers to engagement can easily be surmounted with the right support.  During the Q&A someone in the audience asked how idealist.org would measure progress to see if the project is successful.  One measurement would be how many people are willing to talk to others about the program and invite them to join.  While the answer is related to the project, it made me wonder:  Is telling others in our lives about our activism the hardest part of taking action?

Why is this so hard?

My first year of college I took a course on black women and religion.  I was learning about various religions black women practiced and how those religions helped them navigate sexism and racism.  After the first few classes, I was eager to share my experiences with my mother.  My enthusiasm was met with concern and suspicion.  Indeed, her first reaction was:  “Don’t come back an atheist.”

That comment led to a discussion of beliefs my mom held about education, religion, and social change, a conversation my mom and I hadn’t had before yet shed light on our differing views on touchy issues.

I share this story because it reflects a challenge that many of us encounter in social change work: sometimes the most difficult conversations around social change, passion, and progress happen with the people in our lives.  Our family members, friends, and loved ones.  Maybe it’s because their potential disagreement with our views hits hardest.  Maybe it’s because we’re afraid it may cause a rift in our relationships.  Maybe it’s because you know that these kinds of conversations won’t end well.   In any case, I think this is often why it is easier to engage in conversation with strangers around some of these touchy issues.  It gives us a sense of security: they don’t know me, so no worries.

Where can you begin?

Yet I find that having these kinds of conversations with the people in my life and connecting them to the resources they need are signs that I am making a difference.  I know I am making a difference when:

  • My mother reads an article about a social justice issue in New York City and asks me to discuss it with her,
  • My best friend wants to explore her passion and comes to me for advice,
  • My sister wants to volunteer and asks me where she should begin,
  • My boyfriend wants to learn more about the social change work of business people he admires and looks to me for information

By taking action, no matter how small, we send a message to people in our lives that taking action is possible.  You, in this way, become a connector as others see you as a living example of how they can get involved and ask you for advice.

Yet sometimes we all need a little push to get involved and to invite others to join us.  Idealist.org had some great questions to get the conversation started:

  • What do want to do (to make your community, or the world, a better place)?
  • Why haven’t you done it?
  • What would help you to do it?

Easy enough, right?  My plan is to ask more people in my life these questions and reflect on them myself.  Are you willing to do the same?

What do you think?  How can you engage people in your life about making a difference?

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