Guest Post: CES Student Staff member Wanda Sok is a graduating senior studying Business and Psychology.

Someone once asked me, “If you could do anything, what would you do?”

To answer this question, I had to first do some research and self reflection. I spent the bulk of fall term gathering job descriptions, taking a career awareness class, conducting informational interviews, reading various career exploration books, and researching graduate schools in pursuit of the answer.

Although this seemed like a lot of extra work, a number of themes emerged for me: I love college-age students and higher education; I want to inspire and motivate this age group to achieve their passions; and I thrive on the details involved with planning events. Those themes helped me identify three potential career paths: working as a motivational speaker, serving students as a college career counselor, or becoming an event planner.

I can also credit my realization to one of the books I read. In The Element, Ken Robinson states:

“The element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. When people arrive at the element, they feel most themselves and most inspired and achieve at their highest levels.”

I felt very drawn to this quote. It has helped me evaluate my strengths and talents and assess how they could complement my passion for event planning.

After combining my natural abilities with my passions, I was faced with yet another challenge: I would need more experience to get hired. I struggled with this for weeks, tossing and turning at night, trying to figure out how I was going to be able to live in my element.

And then it happened.

I walked into a small boutique on 6^th Ave., excited to be shopping for a friend’s birthday gift. I got to talking with the store owner and after some polite small talk she asked me what I was doing after graduation. I confessed that I really wanted to be an event planner but that I had very little experience and didn’t know how I was going to do it. She looked at me, smiled, and offered me an internship helping her plan fashion shows and dinner events!

Not every conversation is going to result in a job offer, but every encounter is a chance to make another connection–to share your story. And then…who knows? What I learned that day was the importance of knowing what I want, and how to express it when the opportunity presents itself.

I’m excited to continue my personal journey and see where life after Puget Sound takes me; and I’m glad that all the work I did to figure out potential career paths is starting to pay off! I encourage you, my fellow Loggers, to find your element!

© 2010 Career and Employment Services, University of Puget Sound
Photo: Jeremy Bronson