Like any new Business Administration major with no idea what
they want to do, I turned to Google and searched “entry level management jobs”. Somehow with the simple search I
stumbled upon a rotational leadership development program. The program would
give me the opportunity to rotate through different areas of an insurance
company, all while slowly climbing the corporate ladder up to becoming a
department director. I thought “Great! My life is set after graduation. I have
a job. I have a purpose. I finally figured this adulting thing out.” I quickly discovered that wasn’t the case…
In the leadership program I learned about the details of an
insurance company, how a large call center runs, and how to effectively supervise
people. I also learned that I didn’t want to one day be a director of an
insurance call center.
However, all was not lost! I might not have found my
life-long dream job, but I did discover some things I did like. I liked coaching
people, I liked training people, and I liked learning about how to make
people’s life at work better. Every company project or training opportunity
that came my way I took, and I started to realize what areas of the job did
interest me.
All this time spent in my non-dream job lead me to a
completely new Google search, “is there such a thing as work psychology?”. Here is
where I found out about Industrial/Organizational Psychology and how it is a perfect
combination of all the aspects I DID like in my current job. This is what lead
me to the IO Psych Masters program at Hofstra where I get to focus on the
science behind leadership, training, and work. This is an area I never would
have thought about unless I spent time working in my non-dream job and learning
hands-on what aspects of career I DO and DON’T like.
So the point is, it’s okay when your first job doesn’t work out
the way you thought it would. Keep
moving forward, keep learning, and keep thinking of every job (even your non-dream
ones) as opportunities to explore your interests and get one step closer to
finding a career you love!
Kelsey Colberg
Graduate Assistant, The Career Center
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