The Community

I’ve spent quite some time reflecting this past school year, but even moreso in these last few weeks of spring semester. As a third year student, I am quite aware of the fact that a year from now I’ll be graduating. Last week I mentioned that I’d have to face the “real world,” ready or not. However, a coworker of mine challenged me on the idea of the “real world.”

Backtracking a bit, I recently came to a decision of what my plans for senior year would be – prepping for the GRE, gaining valuable experiences in certain departments or offices on campus, and applying to graduate programs in Student Affairs and Counseling. I was talking to a coworker and good friend of mine in the office about this recent decision when I blurted out, “…but I don’t know if I’m ready for the ‘real world’ yet.”

Another coworker had overheard me, turned around and asked me this, “But isn’t the ‘real world’ just an idea or a construct? We’ve always been living in the ‘real world,’ what makes it more real is just that some of us won’t be students anymore.” I sat there, thinking about what differences that would be, that yes graduating could initiate a huge lifestyle change, but I agreed, I’d already been doing things considered to be a part of the ‘real world’ anyway – paying bills, filing taxes, being in charge of my own self basically. If there were a “real world,” what kind of world was I living in now?

So it got me thinking, well what’s my “afterlife” – life after college, since the “real world” seemed to be a construct? Having decided that I would go straight into grad school after college, it was moreso figuring out where I would like to be going, how I would be paying for graduate school, settling down in a new area, etc. Rather than trying to determine it all on my own, I realized that just as there were people who were once in my shoes trying to decide what to do, there are folks who have gone through a similar process as me.

And that’s when it hit me – that my “afterlife” didn’t have be something I figured out on my own. In the coming months and years, I hope that through YoPro I will be able to connect with people who were once where I was or even with people in the same situation as me. With YoPro, I realized that I don’t have to face the world alone as a young professional.

Best,

Jackie

I think that what you all may have gathered from my journey, is that it isn’t an entirely direct path. As multiple, branching paths, it’s easy to see that I’m a current point in life where indecision characterizes much of what I do and experience. From simply trying to decide what to wear for the day or eat for dinner, when faced by constant decision-making and being pushed to be decisive, it gets grueling to consider that I barely have the energy or confidence to determine my own future from here on out.

And you know what, that’s okay! Well, at least, I’m telling myself it’s okay. College is a time where indecision is okay, where changing your major multiple times isn’t strange or unnatural, but a sign of exploration and experimentation. College is the time where folks hash out their identities and personalities. For me to be indecisive at a time like this, is natural.

However, I can’t keep telling myself this, within a little more than a year from now, when I’ll be walking the stage, diploma in hand, facing the “real world” – ready or not. If there’s anything that serves as a bit of comfort from my own experiences, it is knowing three things – 1) that I at least explored my options before ruling anything out, 2) that I’m not alone in how I feel and what I experience, and 3) that I don’t have to be alone in my experiences after I graduate.

As I continue to try and hone in on what career path I want to establish and begin, there is comfort in knowing that I don’t have to be alone. There’s a network for me that I can turn to, a support group that knows the same fears of the unknown as well as me, and access to mentorship and wisdom that I may otherwise be unable to find even in an age as connected as the internet.

Maybe I might sound overtly romanticizing when I think about the possibilities of the network, but then again, you have to wonder, is it because I’m dreaming of what it could be, or because I’m aware of what I will be? I recognize that this network, as it stands, already has plenty to offer from its base of users alone. I realize now that while I find comfort in the ability to sample and experiment, I also am part of a community of people who have probably done the same. What I’ve lacked the most up until now, is more peer-insight, which I hope to get more of as the network continues to grow.

And as I continue to connect and also wait as our base grows, I begin to ask myself to help myself hone in on what I want to do – what is my “afterlife” from college? Someone else was probably in similarly indecisive shoes as me before, it’s just a matter of finding them now, which I’m sure I will, soon enough. Until then, you’ll just have to wait and see what I think my “afterlife” may or could be post-graduation.

Best,
Jackie

My first Skype interview ever was with YoPro Global. It was in that interview I realized something that I never had in previous interview settings. I was so conditioned to think about myself in terms of strengths, weaknesses, and skills that I failed on communicating my passion and potential, something which we may undervalue in the process, but that employers may be really be looking for.

Part of hiring, of course, relies on people being qualified at the level of skill required for the job and being aware and active about their weaknesses. However, part of hiring, also relies on finding candidates who demonstrate a level of enthusiasm and passion not just to meet the needs of a position, but who will be motivated to work hard and push the limits of said positions.

When I met Ty in person after our Skype interview days before, I found myself being offered not just the chance to fill the role of an intern, but to build my role as an intern and help to shape the way my experience could benefit me. I am fortunate in that YoPro has offered not just an opportunity to show them what I can do to for the network, but to really get an experience that embodies what the network is all about.

I soon found myself arranging meeting, commuting to the city to discuss tangible plans and goals and yet also our aspirations and hopes for the network. Ty was putting my hand in the hands of professionals in fields I wanted to learn more about, connecting me with people and giving me the tools and the knowledge needed to help me make informed decisions about what I would be doing as an intern but also with my own career pursuits.

What we often forget, and isn’t necessarily clearly articulated, is what we can gain from the opportunities we are presented with. I am admittedly fortunate and grateful to have this opportunity that allows me to shape my experience and grow in the position, rather than just simply filling it.

Best,
Jackie

…is what I wish I had when I was entering college. Hell, I wish I had it before I applied to colleges. Although titles like these are catchy and make us feel as though college can be “conquered,” I urge you to read on and see why diving into your psyche can be a more effective approach. The following lessons will improve you not only as a collegiate, but also as a human being.

“College has given me the confidence I need to fail.
” -Jarod Kintz

This post will help recent grads, experienced students, and incoming freshman understand why immaturity and naïveté is not actually a bad thing. Although many of us still consider ourselves inexperienced and somewhat lost, our negatives can be reframed as positives (just as we started to do with fears in the last post).

So we started to reframe our fears in Part I: Lean into Your Fears, setting ourselves on a course to gradually eradicate them through exposure and experience. By sharing my past experience as an incoming freshman in this post, I will begin to show you why we should begin to recalibrate ourselves to be opportunity-seeking machines.

When I started my freshman year at a university in the Chicago area, I was confident that I wanted to be a doctor. Although it was hardly going to be the path of least resistance, the structure and defined, long-term plan would allow me to avoid the uncertainty of searching for the best, true-to-me fit. I planned to talk to experienced pre-medical advisers, gain clinical experience, hit the books, apply to medical school, and get in…difficult, but simple.

This brings me to my first point. Learn as much as you can. It doesn’t matter whether you are sure or not sure about what you feel like doing. I wish I would have kept an open mind and realized that I was making medicine my “default” only because I was comfortable with the idea. Any other field that I would start exploring felt unendingly expansive and paralyzed my motivation to learn. However Jonathan Mead elegantly mentions that “we expect the fruits of our labor before we’ve toiled in the field.” In other words, be willing to push through the difficulty of learning something new before you decide whether or not it’s worth pursuing.

Just as new college students should try to absorb as much information, experience, and perspectives as they can in several fields, existing college students and young professionals should do the same. Try to think about how that major or skill might fit into your immediate and/or long-term goals. For example, while thinking about medicine as a freshman, I could have also thought about how journalism might help me construct and disseminate information on staying healthy.

So, let me know what your major, interests, and goals are. Let’s discuss how we can get you to think outside of the box, whether you are a prospective student, current student, or college graduate! Stay tuned for Parts III, IV, and V as I speak a bit more about my journey, offering some of my own learned lessons along the way.

“College is a refuge from hasty judgment.” -Robert Frost

Thanks for reading,

Varun

Also! Feel free to contact me and Jackie, the two YoPro marketing interns, at Early.Access@yoproglobal.org if you have any questions, comments, or thoughts on anything. We love meeting and talking to new people and would love to help in any way that we can.

Also also! Don’t forget to check out YoPro’s Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter site. And of course, sign up for early access to the YoProGlobal network.

Prior to YoPro, the thought of me establishing connections felt very limited to the extent of who I could meet and connect with on campus. The idea of where I looked only expanded to the lengths of job and internship listings I’d spot on Facebook or on websites such as Cal’s own Callisto tool and sites such as Indeed.com. I couldn’t bring myself to brave career fairs, and often they didn’t meet my interests.

It was fortunate that I found a better way of zeroing in on the kind of environment I wanted to work and learn-in (the startup scene) and put myself out there, by making a profile on AngelList. It was even more fortunate the amidst several other users, Ty, one of the great minds behind YoPro Global, found my profile and sent me the message that would change the course of my career search.

The thing is, when I got the offer to chat, there were a few things I realized after already making the arrangements to chat: 1) I’ve never had a phone or Skype interview before and 2) What would be the proper course of action following up afterward? Of course, I managed to figure things out seeing as I’m here now, but at the time, I was worried.

Prior to the our Skype interview, I was scanning over the YoPro website, at the time only a founding member’s page that described the premise of the network and equipped with a video that piqued my interest even more the second time I saw it. The thing is, on my first viewing, I thought to myself “oh another social network,” a dangerous kind of thinking I’ve since tried to change. Because YoPro, to me, isn’t just another network, it’s going to be THE network for me as the pieces come together over these next few weeks.

When the time came, I pulled myself together and tried to imagine myself sitting across a table from Ty. I tried my best to keep myself composed, speak clearly and watch myself from talking too fast. By the end of it all, I was thankfully extended the change to meet again in person. By the end of it though, I was already given a test or task if you will – come up with a vision for I were to market the network.

I had no clue this would only be the beginning for a lot of growth and several more “firsts” from then on.

Best,
Jackie

I last left you all with what I had recently learned during my job hunt – maintaining relationships. As I mentioned previously, however, is that I realize I was able and fortunate to establish connections with people based on who I knew and where I was involved. Not every student gets the chance to connect with higher up professionals in the field of student affairs or get the chance to talked to a season professional in the field of brand marketing over skype. I realize that if I hadn’t begun my search and vocalizing my interest, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.

The thing about opportunity is that you can never really predict when one will open up for you, and part of that relies on you being proactive. There are two things, however, than you can change and that can be determined in helping you find opportunities and learn more — who and where.

The where part is something everyone seems to think of right away — where can I get more info? Where do I search online to find a job? Where do I go to get career advice? However, we often waste more time fixating on the where to look, which ends up not being as effective as finding who to look for.

Did you know that most jobs and other opportunities are found through connections rather than through other resources such as online listings? These days, it isn’t a matter of looking in the right place, but knowing and asking the right person. That’s why making and maintaining connections are so key. If you know who you’re looking for, the where part becomes easier.

The beauty of YoPro is – it’s where you’ll find who to connect with.

Best,
Jackie

I last mentioned how I’ve been working hard to connect with more people to learn about what they do, why they do it, and how, but I haven’t really addressed the more important part to it all — maintaining relationships.

People often forget that connections are more than just that, they’re relationships that you establish with people and they require maintenance. When you make a connection, commit it to memory how you met, where, and why. Be proactive in contacting them and after you do meetup once or maybe several times, don’t forget to follow up with an e-mail and send a thank you note.

One of things I found helpful was putting this more into a routine or a practice. When I met someone at an event, I would ask for their card and write on the back what event I met them at, when the event was, and talking points for when I would follow-up with them such as topics we discussed or things they indicated they were knowledgable about.

Luckily for you all, YoPro becomes the venue or the perpetual networking event where this is streamlined for you! That’s not to say you shouldn’t put both into practice, however, as these two methods go hand-in-hand rather than work in competition with each other.

Best,
Jackie