This article is part of our Legends Interview Program. An Alumni Association initiative to record the experiences of alumni and share with our community. This interview took place on April 27th, 2022. Schedule an interview or submit your own story to us by emailing us at info@foreveraneasttechtitan.com.
Congrats to all the upcoming and current seniors graduating from East Tech! If you haven’t figured out what you want to do, that’s OKAY! I want to share some tips to help you figure out where to start.
Before we dive into the tips, a little bit about me. I graduated from East Tech in the Marketing & Hospitality Program and had a brief idea of what I wanted to do, but I wasn’t sure where to start. I’ve found my journey. I am currently a law student who hopes to practice Entertainment Law and Intellectual Property Law in New York.
Here’s some tips to help you figure out your journey:
1.Start Somewhere
Go through your life and figure out what interests you. Once you write down a couple of things you love to do, it’s time to do a ton of research on what kind of career aligns with your interest. From there, figure out a pathway of how you can get into that career. What classes do you need to take? What sort of degrees and/or certifications do you need? Who are the top experts in the career you want to pursue? What can you do today to start getting your foot into that industry?
2.Figure out a balance
Your time is essential and for many people, it’s important to figure out the time you spend on yourself, your family, your friends, and your work. Figure out how much time you want to spend on what you believe is important in your life now.
Definitely understand that your life and your priorities are constantly changing, and it’s important to build a balance. For me, I knew education was important during my undergraduate years, so it was important that the majority of my time was spent building my knowledge and passing my classes.
Now that I am in law school, networking is very important so I’ve adjusted my priorities to include time for professional development and learning how to network. As I progressed into my journey, my priorities have changed so I have to balance my time and commitment.
3.Dealing with negative thoughts
There will always be things along your journey that will try to “distract” you from your goal. This can be either people not believing you’ll finish your journey or even your own head telling you that it’s impossible to get to the finish line.
From my personal experience, my goal has been to practice law in New York, so I’ve applied for many summer internships in New York so that I could ultimately spend my summer networking and gaining experience in the state I hoped to be in. I got numerous rejections but received ONE acceptance letter. Remember, it takes only ONE “yes” to get you moving.
Never give up hope and always stay focused on your journey.
4.Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For Help
Completing your journey doesn’t mean you need to do this by yourself! If you’re planning to go to college, use your available resources (professors, counselors, mentors) and even ask upperclassmen for help. It’s important to remember that there are always people that can help guide you into your journey. You just need to ask!
Lastly…it’s about YOUR journey
Everyone’s journey is different and sadly it’s not always black and white. Gain the experience and explore the endless opportunities out there! Remember that everything you do will eventually bind together.
Even though I didn’t pursue a career in Marketing or Hospitality, there were certain skill sets I’ve learned from Mr. Silva, Mrs. Boyer, and Ms. Carroll that helped me along my journey. One skill set that is super useful was understanding how to pitch yourself and I find myself in a lot of situations pitching and marketing myself.
I want to wish you a lot of luck on your journey. If you ever need advice or need someone to talk to. Feel free to reach out to me at kianapar2@gmail.com
