Parting Advice

HALF OF THE COLLEGE students I taught last semester just graduated. A few are going on to graduate school, but most are starting accounting, finance or other business careers. For my classes with a heavy concentration of seniors, I reserve the last five minutes of the final class to give them a few career tips. In keeping with my overall teaching approach, I keep the message simple: Do what you enjoy.

Now, this isn���t the usual ���follow your passion��� pitch you hear in so many commencement addresses. In fact, I start by saying that most of us won���t follow our passion. Often, it isn���t practical to do so. Because we can���t all be passion-driven, we need to find ways to make our day-to-day work enjoyable. I encourage my graduates to find ways to incorporate things they enjoy into their career. There are two specific tips I share.

First, I recommend graduates use their skills to enter an industry that interests them. Many students have ���dream��� industries they���d like to work in, such as sports, not-for-profits and life sciences. But most judge it too difficult to land a job in these industries, so they apply to businesses that don���t excite them.

To be sure, graduates with technical majors���think accounting and information technology���may have an easier time getting their foot in the door of a preferred industry. But all graduates have skills, such as problem solving and communication, that are useful in any industry. If you have a genuine interest in an industry, I believe you should make putting your skills to work in that industry your focus. The fact is, if you���re working in your ���dream��� industry, chances are you���ll be more successful and more fulfilled.

Second, I encourage graduates to prioritize doing things they enjoy at work. These things might not be specifically related to your day-to-day responsibilities. Instead, they might include things like recruiting new employees from your alma mater, leading training sessions or working on special projects. It could even include organizing the company���s sports teams. Assuming you do these things well and they don���t detract from your core duties, you���ll be viewed favorably by your manager and your peers���and you���ll likely enjoy your job more.

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