The Life of a Young Professional

Balancing classes, a part-time job, an internship, homework and social activities can be tough. So when the topic of finding a mentor comes up, many collegiates shrug off the idea because there just aren't enough hours in the day.  While having a mentor won't make-or-break your chance at career success, having a good mentor can be extremely helpful when you're looking for career advice, job opportunities or even just a role model who's already succeeded at something you'd like to do. 

I met my mentor my freshman year of college. Not only was he a person I could go to for help, advice and guidance, he became a great friend and significantly helped (and is still helping) me through the post graduate transition into the “real world.” Learning from his experiences, even if they were different from my own, has proven invaluable as I settle in to my new life as a young professional.

My interview features my mentor and friend Kevin Fallon. He graduated from Fordham University in 2011 and currently works for KPMG. I conducted my interview with Kevin in hopes to shed some light on what life is like for young professionals, and the changes (the good, the bad and the ugly) that one may go through after graduation.

Q. Tell me about your current position (what you're doing, what your day to day is like, what excites you about your job).
A. In my current position as a Transactions and Restructuring associate at KPMG advisory I help my clients evaluate the financial risks and opportunities of company's they are considering acquiring. My daily responsibilities include analyzing financial data, maintaining our requests for information for our clients and summarizing our findings into PowerPoint presentation reports. In my job I get to learn a great deal about a company in a very short period of time. Understanding the unique challenges companies face in different industries is an exciting and constantly changing challenge.  

Q. How did you get to where you are today?
A. KPMG is a signature Partner of Fordham Career Services. I was fortunate enough to interview with them on campus. I started as an intern my sophomore year of college, I began interning at KPMG within their audit department. Toward the end of my internship I expressed interest in KPMG's mergers and acquisitions business. After networking within the company and interviewing internally I was given the opportunity to start my career in the transactions and restructuring division. 

Q. What advice do you have for a post-grad going through the job search?

A. I would encourage post-grads to push forward and not get frustrated. Also try to use the search as an opportunity to continue learning. Each position you apply to is an opportunity to learn about a company or profession. Take each of those opportunities and you will continue to build a valuable knowledge base which you can use going forward. Finally get creative!!! Everyone knows the basic job search tactics but the person who gets creative and goes above and beyond is the person who will get the job. 

Q. Would you say this was a dream job for you?

A. One day I would really like to own my own business and this has always been a dream of mine.  I believe my current job will give me the skills I need to get to that point in the future so from  that perspective it is a dream job. (Or at least a building-to-a-dream job.)

Q. What has been the toughest part of your post-grad life thus far?

A. Balancing the demands of work against my personal life and being with my girlfriend is the most difficult part of post-grad life. While a career is important, at the end of the day it is your family and friends who make you happy and it is important to never forget that.

Q. What obligations does your employer expect of you outside of the work week? Are there organizations you are expected to join? Are there social commitments? How has your job affected your lifestyle?

A. At times my group can require a decent amount of weekend and late-night work. The work week takes on a slightly different definition in this line of work. In addition to the demands of work there are also social demands including client networking, business travel and internal networking. While these events can be fun, in time the fun turns into a burden, which is one of the reasons it is difficult if not impossible to remain in the field long term. 

Q. What advice do you have for others who may want a career like yours?

A. My advice is a little less specific to my career focus, but more to my path; always be open minded, but be focused on what you want. This sounds conflicting, but being open minded allows you to see more things as potential opportunities. By focusing on what you want to accomplish, you can filter these opportunities and chase the ones you feel will get you closer to your goal.

Goals will always change and evolve, but always keep focused on what you want to achieve. A great way to find these opportunities is by getting out and talking to people. Take every chance you can to learn as much as you can about someone else. You can never accomplish anything all alone.

Q. What do you think has been your greatest professional accomplishment so far?

A. During a slow patch at work I wrote a proposal for a new internal protocol and platform which affects how we send work requests to our overnight/offshore India team.  The proposal was taken up by our management and is currently planned for FY14 development. This project was a rewarding accomplishment for me because it solved a problem we faced on a regular basis and earned recognition across the organization. 

Q. What do you like to do in your spare time, outside of work?

A. I love to go on adventures and try new things with my girlfriend and friends. I also love finding and searching for old collectibles.

Q. Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

A. I see myself focusing more in my personal life and less on my professional development. I also expect to be wrapping up any corporate career and beginning to look for opportunities to start a small business and work for myself.

I hope this post provided a bit of insight into the life of a young professional. Having a mentor will help you learn what to expect during this time, and help ease the new and challenging process!

Hot Off The Press! The Best Blog On The Internet!

The first blog I started to follow (and still to this day is my favorite) is a blog titled "The Daily Love" The Blogs creator Mastin Kipp, started writing while going through personal issues as a form of therapy, and it turned into something much larger. It began as a feed of quotes sent to Mastin’s friends, and shot to fame after receiving an approval tweet from Kim Kardashian. (WOW KIM, he must be a big deal.) Further, Mr. Kipp has been hosted on Oprah's weekly show "Super Soul Sunday" titling him as an “up and coming thought leader in the next generation of spiritual thinkers.” 

Mastin’s mission is to "Connect people back to what makes them happy. Happy people make better choices, and better choices make for a better world." The blog features guest writers and weekly contributors that touch on the topic of self love, self development, relationships, self help, finding inner peace, as well as personal and mental growth. Every post is perfectly crafted and forces the reader think and reflect.

In reading through the daily postings, I came across a post titled "TWENTY-SOMETHING DOES NOT HAVE TO BE TWENTY-EVERYTHING!"  The content of the post is extremely relevant to the topics I touch upon in Destination Happiness. 

The post writer, Christine Hassler is writing to remind the "twenty-somethings" that even though during our twenties, or as she puts it: "our quarter-life crisis", we experience an incredible amount of pressure, expectations, confusion, and anxiety while embarking on the decade where we think we need to "figure it all out." But if you take step back and look at the bigger picture, we actually don't have to figure it all out. Life is a constant journey, and if you are willing to remove societal and self expectations about figuring everything out on a certain timeline or according to a certain check list; that your twenties will be a time of great discovery, freedom and exhilaration. 

The post goes on to discuss different interviews she held with a bunch of over 30 thought leaders and experts. During the interview she asked them "What do you wish you knew then, that you know now?" A few themes seemed to arise again and again, including: learning from your mistakes, being true to yourself, getting in touch with yourself and your emotions and developing your personal brand.

I'm going to share with you a few points I found particularly helpful:

• There is huge value in “oh no!” moments. The things that don’t go according to plan are often the biggest blessings in your life–sometimes it just takes time to clearly understand what the blessing is.
• Youth does not make you invincible but it does give you the amazing opportunity to create habits for healthy living NOW.
• Answering the question, “What do I want to do with my life” is more often a process of elimination rather than a lighting bolt of inspiration.
• Write down what you want to be known for.  Make a list of your professional and character values and never sell out. Develop your personal brand–remember your passion makes you unique!!
• Your thoughts are creating your reality so you are either attracting things to you or repelling them from you.  Be mindful of your thoughts!
• Adopt a “what can I give” versus “what can I get” mindset.  That is how you truly make an impact on the world.
• ALL relationships teach us valuable things about ourselves and are a catalyst for growth.  Even if they end, they are a success if you are willing to look at what you learned about yourself.

Christine closes by reminding the reader that "In order to create a life of meaning, you have to live it."

The advice Christine shares sparks a sense of initiative and makes me, an anxious "twenty-something", feel normal. The post reminds me that although putting an extraneous amount of pressure on myself will create external results, it could potentially cost me a lot of joy, peace, play and presence during this time of exploration. It reminds me to allow curiosity to lead me, and not be so hard on myself. (We are all our own worst critics.) 

I recommend the blog to everyone, no matter your interests. I guarantee you will find something that touches you, or helps you reflect on your inner most thoughts.

Remember: Each step is moving you forward, even if you feel like you are moving backward.

So Now What? Life After College: An Introduction

College can be some of the best years of your life, but what happens after graduation? With the tough economy, increased costs of living and outsourcing of jobs, what’s a recent graduate to do?

The plan seemed straightforward: graduate from college, land a job and then breeze through work like it’s the first day of school. Only you’re no longer a student and there aren't any teachers or a syllabus to follow. Heck, some of your office peers have children your age...

You had no idea how drastically different the professional world would be from college life. Nine-to-five workdays, unfamiliar faces, rent to pay, no more summer vacation (ugh)… It’s enough to make you curl up into a teary-eyed ball beneath your cubicle...

But then you remembered that saying your mom, pastor, rabbi, wise old neighbor, grandpa, overly compassionate friend etc. always used to say, that you always never listened to: "It could always be worse." And for once, you know its true, because you could have been in this situation...

Imagine: Graduation season has come and gone, and as you watch all your peers begin to land those finance and accounting jobs, you begin to seriously wonder why you thought it would be a good idea to save the world or become a journalist...

Even sitting at your computer to get your daily dose of Facebook becomes a self depreciating task. As all the business school kids make status updates about signing the lease to their new NYC apartments, you are sulking and packing your clothes into large garbage bags to move back in with your parents. (Because really, whats worse than having a home to come back to!?!)

Your job search is going just as bad as your attitude. You've updated, revised and edited your resume a near 20 times and you just can't seem to land an interview, or even hear back from an employer. You're stuck, and with each failed effort the idea of throwing in the towel and moving somewhere pretty like Colorado to become a career Starbucks Barista is looking better and better.

BUT THEN THE STORM CALMED AND THE SKY OPENED UP, ALL BECAUSE YOU FOUND THIS BLOG!