One thing I learned from participating at Girls World Expo last weekend is that teen girls are SO hungry for advice. They want to hear everything you have to say and learn from your mistakes so that they can succeed. If you know of a girl 11-18, please share this post with them! Thank you for sharing your career and life advice for young girls on this post (CLICK HERE)! I had so much fun at Girls World Expo and I will be sharing all of your advice with the girls over the next year.
Here is your college and life advice for young girls!!
- Never stop learning. Study hard, work hard and eventually you’ll be able to play hard. Be kind to everyone you meet. Aim high. Challenge yourself, daily. Study abroad. Work for free. Start building your resume in high school. Never throw away a business card. Take chances. But, most importantly, be yourself.” -Jennifer Straub
- When I was younger, I rejected anything mainstream and what my parents defined as “normal”. I will never regret being myself, but I do wish I was less stubborn and more open minded. Even if I truly did not like the idea/music/tv/clothing/etc. presented to me, learning about something beyond the boundaries of my world would have only enriched it. Also, work hard at everything you do – but remember to take time for yourself. Burning out before you graduate college is not the best way to enter the real world! -Nicole Martin from Employed Panache
- I wish I would have had learned more about finances. And the implications of taking out student loans to pay for school and living expenses. I think educating young women on finances, debt and the importance of working through college, attending a less expensive school or earning scholarships and grants in order to fund ones education. I wish someone would have helped me with. I believe that we must teach girls to be able to take care of themselves and not rely solely on debt. – Ashlee
- Something I wish I had done is to start working/temping in an HR related field while I was studying towards my HR degree. After obtaining my qualification I still had no clue what a day in my industry looked like, which made it really tough to find a good entry level position. I bet my course material would also have made more sense to me if I could put into the context of an actual job. I would have known a few business contacts by the time I graduated. -Kobie
- I wish I would have known the importance of being organized and sending follow-up letters (back then, we used snail mail and our letters were either hand-written or typed). We had less technology to remind us of things back then and there was a tendency to forget to send follow up letters. – Gloria at All Things Digital Marketing
- They should look into what opportunities are available for advancement. I wish I had know it was going to be difficult to move up in my job. If I had, I may have choosen a different job within the same field. And if they are ever offered an internship, take it! These often lead to job offers. – Michelle at Reading Escapes
So much great advice! I will be continuing to post your great advice next week! Stay tuned! What is your career and life advice for young girls? What do you wish you would have known before going to college and entering the real world?
(And here is me at my booth at the Girls World Expo!)
About Anna Runyan
Watch your managers carefully. Once you enter the “business” world, you can get a feel for the kind of leader you are going to be by remembering the things you liked and didn’t like about your different leaders. I learned SO MUCH about mentoring from one boss and I left another job with a laundry list of things I didn’t want to incorporate from another.
That is a great tip to watch how your managers manage and notice the things that work and the things that don’t work. I have learned so much from great managers and terrible managers:) I think that makes me a much better manager today also! Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Looking forward to checking out your blog as well!
I completely agree that you should try to get as much professional experience. You will learn so much more from doing internships than studying! Getting first-hand experience will also help you decide what industry you want to work in.
Thanks again for the great blog
Hi Yuri, I totally agree! I learned WAY more by internships, volunteering and on the job training than studying for most of my tests in college. I hope this inspires other people to get an internship and learn skills that will benefit them in the real world. It can even help them have a guaranteed job at graduation!!
Great advice!
I would add be consistent and reliable, even with your starter jobs. All of the points discussed above and in this post all relate to make the most of your working career from the beginning. It will help you develop certain qualities that you will certainly need in the corporate world and or as an entrepreneur.
Good tip! Being reliable doing little, easy jobs is so important because it will allow your boss and co-workers to trust you so you can quickly move on to bigger and better things! Thanks for commenting! So happy you liked the advice!
My recommendation would be to make sure you ask lots of questions at your job interview. Inquire why the position is open, what the company culture is like, etc. The interview process is for both the job candidate and employer alike.
Sarah-Great tip! So many times we get so worried about making a good impression and answering the questions correctly, we forget about asking the interviewers questions also! Applicants should always interview people at the company to make sure it is the perfect fit for them also! Thanks for the tip!
Wish I had this resource before my first full time position. Every aspiring professional should read this and social network this site often. This entire site is so resourceful and so so well put together.
Hi Gloria- THANK YOU!! What wonderful words to hear! That just made my day! I really do hope that my blog helps LOTS of young professionals succeed in their jobs! Thanks again!
When still in college or school, remember to socialize. You will meet a wider variety of people when you start working and you might be intimidated by the lot. But if you’re used to socializing with people as early as possible, then you wouldn’t have a problem when you already have a job and working with people.
Good tip Steph! You should definitely start socializing as early as possibly in college even if you aren’t looking for a job yet. It will be very helpful to have a powerful network when you graduate! Thanks for leaving a comment!