How do some people get all the luck
Okay, I don' t know how people get positions so easily, but this just adds insult to injury. Okay, when I was 25 years old, I graduated college with a Bachelor' s Degree in Environmental Studies. I had been vying to work for the state, they have positions called Environmental Specialist 1 and 2 (ES1 and ES2). These are biological/scientific related positions, very competitive to get into. Just and FYI, and ES II position supervises ES I' s. The first ES I position I applied for was in South FL, and I received a letter back from them stating they had received 100' s of applications for only 1 position, and I' d probably be a couple of months before they' d even be through them all. Anyhow, I met this woman, only 26 years old, and already has an ES2 position? I was 25 when I graduated, and busted my hump submitting applications for mere ES1 positions for a year , (until I reached the age of 26) and have yet to succeed, wound up taking a job in something else later on. I don' t know if these people just have "luck, know someone real well, or there' s more to the story, or just had a pretty face". I would by ES1, but ES 2 at the age of 26? I met her on Myspace...and well, she seems like a typical college party girl (perhaps still haven' t forgetten the party scene)
Don't let it upset you before you ask her how she was able to be in that position by the age of 26. I have plenty of friends, male and female, that didn't really impress me when I first met them in social situations but later found out that they were "undercover nerds" like me. They had the smarts and grades but liked to party too. Please don't make comparisons until you know what you are comparing.
Or potentially they also did summer internships in their primary major thus met people who later got them through the door and a leg up. You see it is all in how you work the system.
That is indeed probable. However, ironically, I did volunteer work (not internships, but the only difference there is college credit ) for the Dept of Environmental Protection (the company I tried getting on with) while I was in college. Even used that volunteer work as a "one-up" against the competition. Still, no go....she must' ve had an uncle or something.
Who did you interact with in your volunteer role? If you volunteer for the good of the world then...Thank you. If you volunteer to network then I would choose volunteer roles where people who make hiring decisions see the work you are doing and the work is close or similar to the role you are currently searching for. It also helps if you do an internship/volunteer work as the last requisite so that they can hire or recommend you while your abilities and accomplishments are still fresh in their minds. I rarely see interns from past years hired at my company because we have a new crop of interns to choose from that are just as qualified and they are familiar with what's going on. Food for thought...the difference between my sports internship and my friends' volunteer work in sports is that I interacted with and did projects for Sr. managers, directors, and even a Sr. VP. When positions at other companies opened up they recommended me, and when the position that I wanted opened at the company they offered it without posting it (ending my internship 3 months early). Some people may look at me like you are looking at her since I didn't major in business and the fact that I got into a graduate level internship straight out of undergrad. I networked in school and busted my ass when given the chance to prove myself. Until you ask her you have no idea (she may see it as flattery or she may be tired of people questioning her credentials). From what I'm gathering from "internships and Co-ops". When you say "Last Requisite' do you mean, like in your senior year, if you have "remaining electives" to choose from, choose the internships? I chose an "independent study of ghost crabs". lol I did have a great time doing it though, going out to the coast, measuring Ghost Crab holes, researching the old fashioned way, the University Library. I also did work for the Dept of Forestry working on erosion control and re-planting of Sand Pines. This was like 10 years ago. I think doing volunteer for the State Govt might not help, because well, EVERYONE who tries to get a job with a Government institute are ALL treated as equals, and just because you "volunteered" doesn't really help out too much. I would agree being around "Hiring influences" help...but I was working for a Doctor (obviously a hiring influence) but as with anyone, you have to go through the proper channels in an application process. Word to the wise....don't volunteer or intern for a company that has an HR or Personel dept. LOL . "OH, what , you volunteered 2 years for us? That's nice, dear....now here's an application and please fill out completely or you won't be considered for employment." LOL At least back THEN the state govt , that might have changed...but they didn't have internships,they just have volunteers. SO being around hiring influneces probably wouldn't help matters if you had to go through the weeding out proccess like people who never volunteered. ANYhow, depedns on the place Anyhow, it sounds like some people her emight even had regrets for jsut taking straight college courses and not opting to do interning. Think we could have had less 30- osmething on here complaining how they can't find a job, if they volunteered to sort mail for the governer, but instead opted to take some lecture class as an elective instead? Yes, it's very important to network, and so on...but quite frankly, there IS an element of luck in determining the path and speed of one's career. She simply could have been at the right place at the right time, and you weren't. Sometimes in job-hunting we stress what we can do to maximize our chances--and rightly so--but luck does have a role in things. Saying that, at age 25 or so a lot of people hit what's been called "the quarter-life crisis", and part of it is the fact that as a bona fide adult, the results of the Real World start to emerge. One of them is that some people will achieve a level of success quicker than others of the same age. You might have a boss the same age as you, for instance, and the same qualifications. This can be depressing, as that's "not the way it's supposed to be." In the working world, and the world in general, you're going to have to deal with the fact that success isn't distributed evenly or fairly. If you keep comparing yourself to others in that manner, you'll be unhappy. It's better to focus on yourself. You'll also find there will always be people better off than you. And worse off. The best you can do is take care of yourself.
First off, if you met this girl on MySpace, she could be totally full of it. For that matter she could be a 47 year old male transexual midget for all your know. Secondly, you don' t know what she studied in school, what school she went to, where she did internships, how well she did at those, etc. It is possible she just knows how to kiss up or has an Uncle at the EPA. but chances are good she got where she got because she worked hard and smart. Working hard is half the battle, being smart about it is the other half. There are a lot of things that can be done while you' re in school that greatly increase your chances of getting into the doors you want to get into. Once you' re in that entry level job, working hard and again, doing the things that increase your chances of success can surely get you a promotion in 4 years time. Yes, a few people win the lottery. The rest of us make our own luck. Actually, I met the woman in person before MySpace, she was dressed as a female video game character at a comic book convention (lol...don' t ask). I later contacted her on myspace, and that' s how I got to finding out more about her. She graduated with Biology (yes a degree that' s highly competitive, because face it, people watch the Discovery channel or National Geographic as kids, and figured it' d be an awesome job tobe out in the great wilderness to tape transmitters to deer antlers and label them, and send them on their marry way. Well, guess what, 1,000 more people want to play with deers and frolick with the animals as well, and ever since Steve Irwin (God redst his soul) became hot....increase the demand two fold, lol. I know this one girl that was 25 when she graduated, she was waiting on tables when she was going through college AND continued to do it after she graduated as well, she eventually threw her arms up and gave up and said, "that' s it I' m going back to school for a degree in Physical Therapy (or some health field)." Her' s was Marine Biology, so "weeeee....we get to play with the dolphins, ....weeeeeee...we get to look at the star fishies...wee....we get to scuba dive and look at the pretty coral reefs!" But guess what, so does everyone else. lol. I actually took course credit on a 2 week trip to the keys. WONDERFUL experience, superb. Spent 3 days at a Marine Research Center and then 3 days out at SEA getting sample fish. Picture yourself as you will, sitting on a deck of the vessel, I was with some staff people discussing the field, imagine the scene from Jaws where Brody and them were just talkin and jokina round, Then we gots to talkin' about da field, they told me if ye wanna get into da field, you be cpectin' to make little coin, payin' da rent is a battle. Of course, you get all this..."Point to the sea and the horizon, the fresh air, the unusual creatures you be comin' across, but good l uck with payin da bills, or it' s Davey Jone' s Locker for ya!" Because basically there' s no money in it. HOWEVER...however....there are SOME people that are willing to LIVE poor , just because they love that job. I know someone that' s an artist...that works at a theme park doing sketches for tourists at 9 bucks an hour, and has no quams about it. Of couser, she' s living with her boyfriend, so that helps. Or you can actually go the whole way and get your Ph.D in Marine Biology like my brother-in-law did. He has worked for 30 years in the field and made a fairly great living at it. Of course he had to specialize but between his "full time" job with the University and his other "full time" job with the Texas WetLands research he has done great. It is all in how you want to spend your life and how much you are willing to invest to do it. | |
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Career Tips
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