Written by Ryan Hrabak
To borrow a line from one of Quentin Tarantino’s all-time greatest characters, “I was sitting here, eating my muffin and drinking my coffee and replaying the incident in my head, when I had what alcoholics refer to as a moment of clarity.” Other than track eight on Jay-Z’s The Black Album (which I highly recommend), a moment of clarity is an occasion in life when seemingly important plans deteriorate in the face of greater truths. This definition characterizes it as a quasi-destructive experience, but I believe it is also possible to have a constructive moment of clarity, where your beliefs and plans are substantiated or even strengthened. A professional ‘moment of clarity’ can be one of the most liberating and influential experiences of a career, and should be a primary goal of every young college student. I stumbled into mine on the 25th floor of an office building on 5th Avenue in New York City in May of 2012. Apparently unaffected by my previous internship in finance, I found myself interviewing for a job in securities sales. After struggling through several technical questions related to the price of U.S. treasury bonds, my interviewer leaned across the table and said, “You do realize the point of this interview is not to get me to like you.” I was speechless. “Then why am I here?” I thought. It was at this moment that I realized I had absolutely no real interest in the job itself – only what I thought it represented. I am social, creative, entrepreneurial, and a staunch advocate of preserving individuality, and the jobs I sought promoted none of these traits.
Bombarded by the recruiting efforts of major corporations and financial institutions, and thrown into the increasingly hyper-competitive job market (last week I met a high school junior who interned at Goldman Sachs – I carried golf clubs until I was 20), it has become extremely difficult for students to differentiate between the “right” job and the “right now” job. Too many young adults are committing their time, energy, and lives to careers that don’t complement their own natural skills and passions; and they are suffering as a result. The reason for this, apart from the unique pressures and cultures of their schools, is an increasing lack of self-awareness. Realistically, unless you take a gap year, there is neither the time nor tolerance for you as college student to learn about yourself. And during one of the most critical formative periods of your life, YOU are probably the most important subject of all.
The challenge then is to create a vehicle to reach your own “moment of clarity” without sacrificing a valuable opportunity to gain work experience. The solution, and the best career advice I have ever received, is to find a unique, fulfilling, and unconventional work experience to fill an early off-term or summer. “Join the crew of a fishing boat. Work in construction. Start a website. Volunteer with the ASPCA. Coach at your high school,” my mentor told me. This, he preached, is a beautiful addition to any resume, expressing personality and positive risk-taking, while also allowing for a valuable period of self-discovery and actionable passion. I was given this visionary piece of advice in September of 2011…and completely ignored it. Instead, I voluntarily subjected myself to work that required skills I had never possessed, and rewarded personalities that I generally avoided; all to satisfy some convoluted idea of success that I had generated over the course of my first three years attending Dartmouth. The end of my junior year quickly arrived, and I returned home for my critical final summer. Jobless, clueless, and hopeless I made a blind all-in bet on my mentor’s advice and applied for a sales position at a local Brooks Brothers retail store – it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life because it allowed me to separate myself from the norms that shaped life at Dartmouth and discover what actually motivates me, as well as my own inherent strengths.
My important lessons and guidelines for anyone considering an alternative work experience:
- The Earlier the Better – Don’t follow in my footsteps. Try and find your off-the-wall work experience and moment of clarity as early as possible. The sooner you understand yourself, the more time you will have to find the “right” job.
- Pursue Your Passion – This may seem obvious, but passion should be the driving force behind your selection (and your career choice). Standing for eight hours straight while assisting customers with their purchases was not my ideal work environment, but my interest in men’s clothing and fashion made everything exponentially easier.
- Invest Completely In Your Commitment – This should be applied to all of life’s endeavors, but is particularly important if you want to get the most out of your short experience. Work as much as you can and make a conscious effort to perform at the very highest level whenever you are at work.
- Make an Impact – This complements No. 3, but you should view your work as an opportunity to have an unlimited impact, even if the role itself is limited. Find different ways to add value.
- Continually Reflect – The purpose of an alternative work experience is not to find your dream job, but rather to learn about yourself. Work hard, but also be honest and critical of the experience, and realize how it will help you shape your future.
GSOU All In 