{"id":2756,"date":"2012-05-07T12:48:55","date_gmt":"2012-05-07T19:48:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.ups.edu\/cesblogs\/?p=2756"},"modified":"2012-05-07T12:48:55","modified_gmt":"2012-05-07T19:48:55","slug":"the-path-to-career-fulfillment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/cesblogs\/2012\/05\/07\/the-path-to-career-fulfillment\/","title":{"rendered":"The path to career fulfillment\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The reality is\u2026most people don\u2019t get to their dream job in a straight line.<\/em>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When I graduated from college, I somehow skipped over the fact that my parents once graduated from college and started out living with hand-me-down thrift store furniture, struggling to find their first job. Instead, I always pictured them sitting comfortably in the living room after dinner, drinking coffee after a day at the office in jobs they both enjoyed and found challenging. I wanted that. And I wanted it now<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But, I needed to remember, my parents meandered their way to the comfortable existence I witnessed growing up.<\/p>\n

A conversation with members of the Alumni Council Career and Employment Services Committee highlighted this reality\u2026that most people don\u2019t get to their dream job in a straight line.<\/p>\n

The conversation with the CES Committee members reminded me that not every successful professional starts out in their ideal job\u2014or even one that provides them with great fulfillment. But, the committee also reminded me that every step along the way has benefits, and that it\u2019s important to take advantage of what each job has to offer.<\/p>\n

Shannon Hughes \u201992<\/a> worked as a salad bar attendant. She recognized that role was a \u201cstarting place\u201d and that she \u201clearned a lot from the experience including customer service skills and a can-do attitude\u201d which she now applies in her work as the Marketing Communications Director of the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation.<\/p>\n

Wes Jordan \u201974<\/a> drove a school bus for a year after graduating from Puget Sound. Driving the bus provided him with time to reflect on his undergraduate experience and after that year he headed to graduate school. While Wes is no longer shuttling middle schoolers, he still works in education. Wes is a professor of neuropsychology and faculty director of international admissions at St. Mary\u2019s College of Maryland.<\/p>\n

Lacey Leffler \u201903<\/a> worked two part-time jobs right after college while waiting for a full-time opportunity to open up at one of those organizations. She has now worked full-time for nearly 10 years at the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, an organization where she started working part-time during college.<\/p>\n

Whether you are a graduating senior or a sophomore who is going back home for the summer, the CES Committee members offer the following words of wisdom:<\/p>\n

\u201cConnect with alumni through the ASK Network\u2014talk with them about their career path and ask for advice.\u201d Shannon Hughes \u201992<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re looking for a full-time position, consider part-time work at an organization that interests you. Full-time opportunities may open up and by then you\u2019ve already made an impression with the organization.\u201d Lacey Leffler \u201903<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember that this is a transition and you don\u2019t always have a lot of control over it. You don\u2019t have to jump into what you think is going to be your life-long career. Don\u2019t let it stress you out to the point that you don\u2019t make an intelligent decision.\u201d Wes Jordan \u201974<\/p>\n

\u201cTravel\u2014in the 20 years since I graduated, I have not had the opportunity to take 6 weeks of vacation to explore this country or the world.\u201d Shannon Hughes \u201992<\/p>\n

All committee members recommend using a summer break to explore career options and gain experience. \u201cVolunteer, get a job, job shadow, conduct informational interviews\u2014remember that you can do more than one of these in a summer!\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking for tips on how to use your summer break to your advantage? Whether you\u2019re seeking full-time or part-time work, hope to conduct informational interviews, or arrange a job shadow experience, CES is your one-stop shop. Visit us in Howarth 101 call 253.879.3161 to schedule an appointment.<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo: June Marie<\/a>
\n\u00a9 2012 Career and Employment Services, University of Puget Sound<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The reality is\u2026most people don\u2019t get to their dream job in a straight line. When I graduated from college, I somehow skipped over the fact that my parents once graduated from college and started out living with hand-me-down thrift store furniture, struggling to find their first job. Instead, I always pictured them sitting comfortably in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":248,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[17,53],"class_list":["post-2756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-career-advice","tag-alumni-sharing-knowledge-ask","tag-senior-freak-out"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/cesblogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/cesblogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/cesblogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/cesblogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/248"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/cesblogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/cesblogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2756\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/cesblogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/cesblogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/cesblogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}