Googling My Way to a Job

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