One thing I learned from participating at Girls World Expo last weekend is that teen girls are SO hungry for life and career 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 life and career 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 

• 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 we need to do a better job of educating young women on the importance of working through college, attending a less expensive school or earning scholarships and grants in order to fund one’s education. I wish someone would have helped me. I believe 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 known 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

So much great professional and career 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?